Every day across the U.S. unbelievable quantities of good food goes to waste when so many of our neighbors face hunger. Help us rescue that food and get it to [our food partners] who will put it to good use feeding families [in Guilford County]!
-Feeding America
FAQs
What is food recovery/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.
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 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.
Donors and Volunteers
Donors: 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).
Volunteers: If you would like to help us get surplus food to vetted agencies, we would love for you to volunteer with us.
Please fill out the “Contact Laura” form or email Laura if you are interested in being a Donor or Volunteer. We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Laura
NEWS & INFORMATION
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.
FOOD DONATION IMPROVEMENT ACT
BILL EMERSON GOOD SAMARITAN FOOD DONATION ACT (1996)
“The Food Donation Improvement Act enhances the coverage of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (Emerson Act), which promotes food donation by providing civil and criminal liability protection to food donors and food recovery organizations. The Emerson Act provides a broad base of liability protection that was intended to encourage food donations, yet donors are often unaware of the Act’s protections or have outstanding questions regarding the Act. Many food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants still cite fear of liability as a primary deterrent to donating food.
The Food Donation Improvement Act will help to clarify some of the ambiguous terms in the Emerson Act, promote awareness of the Act, and extend liability protection to support modern food donation.”
Read more here
REPURPOSE IS PART OF REFED’S FOOD WASTE MGMT INSIGHTS ENGINE
ReFed has compiled a state-by-state directory of food loss, waste, management and recovery solution providers. Check it out!
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION: FOOD WASTE TO ENERGY
by Dr. Vicki Foust
Anaerobic Digestion Presentation
Find out how anaerobic digestions contributes to the following:
Reducing food waste in the landfill
Generating electricity or heat
Creating a nitrogen and phosphorus rich soil amendment used to grow more food
MAXIE B’S SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM
by Robin Davis, Owner
Watch Robin discuss Maxie B’s Sustainability Program – how it started, small changes they’ve made along the way to help the environment and how it’s going presently.
You can also visit Maxis B’s Environmental Stewardship page to learn more.
What Our Community is Saying About ASG Food Recovery/RePurpose
"Prior to the donations from RePurpose, we would run out of food every Sunday. We never do now."
- Sunday Serve
"Our food budget has dropped, so the food we get from RePurpose helps feed about 40 people each day during the weekdays."
- Sanctuary House
"RePurpose really comes through with fresh fruits and vegetables for our families."
- BackPack Beginnings
"Everyone deserves to eat! RePurpose allows us to open up another day to feed more people in the community."
- Free Indeed Outreach
"One reason we are so popular is all the chicken nuggets and variety we get from RePurpose. Our customers get more than the usual canned or boxed items most food pantries distribute."
- Vandalia Presbyterian Church
"We love partnering with RePurpose to find places for our wholesome food products we can't retail here."
- Syngenta