Feeding not Wasting

WHAT WE DO

Feeding not Wasting.

Our vision is to decrease food insecurity while creating a more sustainable world.

Whether a food donor or a receiving agency, we are dedicated to facilitating a seamless, simple and successful rescue and donation of fresh wholesome food that would otherwise be discarded.

FAQ

What is food rescue?

Food rescue is the collection of wholesome edible food that would have otherwise gone to waste from restaurants, grocers, and other food service providers. This food is redistributed to vetted local hunger agencies, all while keeping it out of landfills.

Is food waste really that bad?

Yes. Wasted food is worth $165 billion every year. This can also be translated as 40 billion meals being wasted. We already produce more than enough food, we just need to stop wasting 30% of it.

Is it safe to donate and/or receive food?

Yes. The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, passed into law in 1997, states that donors are protected from any civil or criminal liability when donating food in good faith to a nonprofit agency. This law, supported by the USDA and the EPA, was created to support and encourage the donation of food and groceries. Click here to learn more!

Who is the food delivered to?

Local shelters, food pantries, and community nonprofits are individually vetted to receive food donations.

Can I receive weekly pickup? How about one time pickup?

Yes and yes! We will work to develop a schedule that specifically meets your needs.

What about packaging?

Food is packaged safely per our approved Standard Operating Procedures.

What is your relationship to A Simple Gesture?

We are collaborating with A Simple Gesture to work towards our shared goal of providing food to our hungry community.

I am a company. How can decreasing food waste help me?

So glad you asked. Start with a food waste audit with Leanpath (click here).
Stop waste before it starts.

Leftovers inevitably occur. Then what?

RePurpose can help by picking it up and distributing wholesome items.
Also, this business tax guide may be useful (click here).

I really love how decreasing food waste helps our environment. Can you give me more information?

Sure. Food waste produces Methane Gas which is 25x more potent than Carbon Dioxide. Food waste is expensive and causes more damage than the car in your driveway. These groups are amazing Food Waste warriors:
ReFed https://refed.com
NRDC https://www.nrdc.org
WWF https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/food-waste

Are you a partner of Feeding America's Second Harvest?

Yes. RePurpose partners with Second Harvest to assist in the safe and successful distribution of perishable food items to the many community nonprofits in need.

Snack Program

Volunteers are needed to help pick up food from schools and deliver the food to local nonprofits! We require a short training and then you can sign up for days that you are available. Please fill in the Contact Me form and submit. We will contact you to set up your training and volunteer days.

Thanks for helping us get snacks to kids who need them!

IN THE NEWS

REPURPOSE SIGNS U.S. FOOD LOSS & WASTE POLICY ACTION PLAN

This policy sets forth national and international goals to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030! Addressing this challenge nationally will help us locally build a more resilient food system that helps mitigate climate change and feeds more people.

To find out more, visit https://foodwasteactionplan.org

NCSU FOOD SAFETY EXTENSION PROGRAM

In November 2021, the NC Governor approved $62.5k for the NCSU Food Safety Extension Program to develop state supported Standard Operating Procedures and training to recover unserved prepared food to reduce food waste. The funding can be found on page 89 (aka B-63) of this enormous document.

BILL EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT (1996)

RePurpose is in support of new Amendments being proposed for the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. These proposed Amendments will clarify the 25+ years old Emerson Act that is at times unclear. Food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants remain afraid of legal liability and often cite fear of liability as the main reason they don’t donate food. This results in perfectly viable food being wasted instead of giving to those in need. Change.org presents the following petition to sign.

If you are a restaurant, school, hospital, special event center, caterer, etc with a surplus of food that would end up as waste, we would love to partner with you (small or large).

If you would like to help us get surplus food to vetted agencies, we would love for you to volunteer with us.

Donors and Volunteers:

Contact Me by filling out the form below. I look forward to hearing from you!

RePurpose works to reduce food waste and encourage food recovery at the local level. But, we need comprehensive federal policy to reinforce and support our efforts. Here in Greensboro and Guilford County we are poised to be a part of “greening” the Southeastern U.S. Our work in food recovery follows the EPA guidelines of utilizing our valuable food resources to feed people equitably first; rather than allowing these resources to needlessly end up in the landfill.

-Laura Oxner, Director of RePurpose

Laura Oxner, Director of RePurpose

Laura has always been passionate about collaboration, the community and thinking creatively. She has rediscovered this in food recovery after several years as a Speech-Language Pathologist. In 2016, Laura completed the Duke University Nonprofit Management Program. Her years as the NC Regional Director of Rock and Wrap It Up! (RWU), an award winning food recovery think tank, has allowed for Guilford County to become a model of this work. RePurpose will continue this successful work of connecting donors of wholesome food and resources to vetted recipients in order to nourish the community rather than filling landfills. The core phrase of “feeding not wasting” is exactly what she strives for every day. Contact Laura directly at laura.repurpose@asimplegesturegso.org

Thanks to our amazing volunteers who help feed not waste!

Testimonials

"This has provided food that we have not had to purchase so we can use our funds in other ways."

- Impact Church

"We have been able to provide 5 nights a week because of this involvement."

- Rankin UMC

"If we did not have the assistance of your program, we could not feed as many people and service other entities like we do."

- Nehemiah CEC

"The cooked food is also more conveniently served and makes it possible for our seniors to more easily get the nutrition that they need each day."

- Victorious Life Church

"I am also giving food to (Congolese) folks who have moved into a house beside our church. I have received so many thank you's."

- Rocky Knoll Baptist Church

"This program means the world to us...we have thousands of homeless children in Guilford County thousands of families who do not qualify for food stamps and other assistance."

- Oak Grove AME