Our last blog post detailed how Canadians are throwing away about of the third of the food produced in this country. An organization called FoodRescue.ca, created by Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, offers help to those who’d like to donate surplus food safely and efficiently.
Food Rescue has pilot projects in Toronto, Kingston, Sudbury and the Niagara Region, with plans to expand further this year. Their website provides helpful information on how to donate food. One excellent resource is their best before guide, which notes that keeping everyone safe is a top priority in rescuing food…but very few foods have an actual expiry date. Instead most foods have a best before date, meaning food is still edible after that date. The best before guide helps to clarify when food can be donated and eaten past that best before date.
If you have a vegetable garden and think you may grow more than your family can eat, consider signing up for the Grow a Row program, an initiative of the Sault Ste. Marie-based Food Bank Farm. This is a way for local gardeners to donate part of their harvest to local food banks such as the Soup Kitchen Community Centre. To get involved, contact the Food Bank Farm.
