DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Food waste is a growing concern, but organizations like the Food Rescue Partnership in Scott County are making a significant impact by redirecting surplus food to those in need.
The Food Rescue Partnership is committed to ensuring that perfectly good food doesn’t end up in landfills.
Instead, it’s redirected to local food pantries and meal sites like Chefy Bear on Wheels, run by Yolanda Jefferson, to help feed those in need.
“Filling bellies; not landfills, that’s what we want to do,” said Jefferson. “People automatically equate. And I say this all the time, homelessness with hunger. And that’s not necessarily the truth. We have a lot of people that live in their homes every day, they pay all their other bills. And by the time everything is done, then there’s nothing to fill the bellies in the house that need to be filled.”
Jefferson, with nearly four decades of professional cooking experience, provides free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday at her community kitchen in Davenport.
“During the day, we might serve anywhere in for lunch anywhere from 55 to 70. And sometimes like as you see the morning it kind of motion. So, in the morning, you can do 30 for breakfast.”
This effort not only reduces food waste but also addresses food insecurity.
“The Quad Cities community health assessment identified that approximately 25% of Quad Citizens are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from and don’t have a reliable source of food,” said Christina McDonough, Chair of the Food Rescue Partnership.
Jefferson says she also tries to teach people how to make the most out of the food they have.
“I’m taking items directly from the food pantries and preparing meals, then putting them online to show that these foods are usable. We have a lot of waste because people don’t know what to do with some of the foods they receive.”
Since 2010, the Food Rescue Partnership has diverted over 58,000 pounds of food from landfills, making a substantial impact in reducing food waste and supporting those in need in the community.
“There are currently 20 members of food rescue. And so those are businesses throughout the entire quad cities who have committed to taking that extra step to donating any of their remaining food at the end of the day,” said McDonough.
According to McDonough, 15% of Quad Citizens live in a food desert, meaning they have limited access to healthy, affordable food.
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