Feeding The Homeless While Cutting Food Waste

A grass-roots effort to feed homeless people in Los Angeles also benefits the environment by cutting food waste. Food Not Bombs cooks and serves gallons of stew and salads made from nearly 400 pounds of vegetables donated each week by Food Forward, which collects unsold fruits and veggies from farmers’ market vendors. Food Forward has streamlined and centralized food collection from farmers, weighing it and providing receipts for tax records. Since its founding seven years ago, the organization – it has 7,000 registered volunteers and 18 paid employees – has donated more than 25 million pounds of food to 150 local hunger relief agencies, feeding 1.3 million people a year.