OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Every year at the College World Series, fans consume thousands of pounds of food at the concession stands. But still, there’s a lot left over that can simply go to waste.
But Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, in partnership with MECA and Levy Restaurants, is making sure it doesn’t go to a landfill.
“What that means is we are a matchmaker between food purveyor like grocery stores, caterers, event centers, collecting that excess perishable and prepared food and then delivering it the same day through refrigerated trucks to nonprofits serving community members in need,” said Lenli Kountze, CEO and president of Saving Grace Perishable.
Things like dairy, produce, proteins, that would otherwise be thrown away, are collected and donated five days a week.
“We have over 40 nonprofits that we work with. Today we’ll be dropping off at Siena Francis House, which is just down the street, which really highlights that there’s need this close to the College World Series, just four block from the stadium,” says Kountze.
Tyler Humphrey, senior executive chef with Levy, is behind the effort, working first hand to load up the trucks and see them off to their destination.
“Composting is kind of the last resort, if we can’t donate it, then we compost it. But the idea is to get as much of that food out and as fast. The great thing about Saving Grace is, you call and they pick up the phone and they’re there the same day,” says Humphrey.
According to Kountze, n the metro area almost 80,000 people are food insecure; 26,000 of them are children. This effort to rescue unused food is helping to alleviate that struggle.
“We have plenty of food that’s produced around the world. Almost 38% of food that’s produced goes unsold or uneaten, which means it essentially goes to the landfill, whether that’s household waste or waste that is just excessed produced. That really doesn’t check out when you think about how many people in our own metro area are food insecure, and then how much food is wasted, both locally and around the country,” says Kountze.
This year marks Saving Grace’s 10th anniversary of their partnership with Levy Restaurants. Levy Restaurants is the main food service at Charles Schwab Field.
Last year Saving Grace collected 654,000 pounds of food to be donated.
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