“What we really need is a dump truck.”
These don’t seem like inspiring words that would lead to extraordinary change and program breakthroughs, especially in hunger relief. But they were!
For decades, food banks have helped not just people struggling with food insecurity, but also with restaurants, stores, manufacturers, growers, and more as they tackled what to do with the product they couldn’t sell.
No one likes to see perfectly good food go to waste, and for decades, food banks have been bridging the gap between excess and a place where it’s needed. With increasing attention on what to do about climate change, the food banking piece of the global warming puzzle is changing in ways that can benefit food producers, food insecure families, and the planet.
At AzFBN, the “sourcing” we do (asking companies for food donations) is centered at our warehouse in Rio Rico, Arizona – a critical business hub for fruit and vegetable producers that work with Mexican growers. Most of what is donated can’t be sold because of cosmetic or product lifetime issues, or even because of changes in the market that couldn’t be predicted when the seeds were literally sown. But taking great product like this can only get us so far – we needed new ideas to increase the amount of produce we can get out to food banks.
New bagging machine, courtesy of our friends at Feeding America.
The AzFBN Produce Program team hard at work!
Thanks to a partnership with Feeding America, AzFBN was able to stand up new approaches to sourcing, accepting donations of more product instead of saying, “no thanks.” You see, previously, we would’ve taken a load only to discover that it needed to go straight to the landfill, paying a hefty fee along the way to dump a semi-tractor full of produce that was already spoiled or would spoil before it could reach a hungry family’s table. Through this Feeding America grant, AzFBN was able to install equipment for sorting produce, and staff new activities aimed at both getting more food and preventing loads from contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.
Which brings us back to the dump truck!
Once we knew we were purchasing it, the team started reaching out to local farmers to see if they could accept fruits and vegetables that weren’t in good condition for hunger relief to instead feed their livestock, or add to their compost piles. Many local roads can’t accommodate a large semi tractor-trailer, but a small dump truck? No problem! Dozens of farmers said yes when we asked if they’d accept produce waste as long as we could deliver it to them.
This means that when AzFBN sorts through product to ensure it’s safe and fresh for a family in need, the waste is captured and used for future food, saving precious resources of both produce and cash – not to mention the climate. AzFBN was paying five-figure dumping bills each year, and now the team has a goal of that number being zero. In fact, they have removed the food waste dumpsters from the warehouse completely!
Dewatering Machine: Food goes in on the left (under that handle), and comes out into the green bin.
Sorting through produce and making sure it has the quality needed to make it to a family is specialized and hard work, but our trained team at the warehouse does it efficiently and effectively, day after day. We also just installed new machines that de-water and pulp the produce waste, reducing the weight and volume and making it more stable – which gives us more time to get more of it to a farmer. The goal? Waste isn’t going to add to the landfill OR the expense budget, making the AzFBN Produce Program that much more impactful.
We couldn’t do this innovative work without Feeding America’s grant to get key equipment. But funding is just part of the puzzle. Together, with financial donors, product donors, farmers, staff, food banks, volunteers, and agencies that connect all the dots – we’re making progress toward a hunger free Arizona!
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