The Central Texas Food Bank is one of many organizations trying to change the answer — and you can help
A 2015 Austin Resource Recovery study found that 37% of the materials brought to our landfills are compostable. When food waste is thrown out in the trash, it’s sealed in plastic, then buried under tons of other nonorganic wastes. Unable to rot in a more natural way, the food mummifies and releases a large amount of methane.
Meanwhile, more than one in seven individuals in Central Texas is food insecure. One in five children in our region is at risk of hunger.
Food insecurity means that a person lacks consistent and reliable access to enough food for an active, healthy life. And the problem isn’t just affecting the homeless. More than 40% of food insecure Central Texans earn too much to qualify for federal nutrition assistance programs.
That means, even with a job, many can’t afford enough food for their families — but still don’t qualify for food stamps.
Here is the good news! To address both food insecurity and the environmental effects of food waste, the Central Texas Food Bank is partnering with Keep Austin Fed to pilot a national food rescue program. We are doing this through MealConnect – a free platform designed specifically to make donating food easy for local and regional businesses who may not have consistent or large single donations.
Photo courtesy of the Central Texas Food Bank
Accessible on any smartphone or computer, an algorithm determines the best local relief agency to distribute the donation and notifies a volunteer to pick it up from the donor. All donations are tax-deductible, and Feeding America, the parent organization and creators of MealConnect, maintains rigorous food-safety standards to ensure that all food distributed is safe for consumption.
Want to help? If you have your driver’s license, access to a vehicle with car insurance, and can physically lift about 30 pounds (a tray or box of food into the car), consider becoming a Middle Mile volunteer!
After you get your Texas Food Handlers Permit online for about $8 and sign up on MealConnect, you’ll need to attend a short how-to training. Trainings are offered every Saturday through Keep Austin Fed, through the Central Texas Food Bank — which you can schedule for Monday–Friday during business hours.
Once your training is complete, you’ll begin to receive notices on your phone when there is a donation in your area. You can choose whether or not to accept the opportunity; if you’re busy, the next volunteer on the list will be notified. Going on vacation? You can turn the notifications on and off at any time.
Rescuing food and delivering it to relief agencies means they can quickly get it to those in need — and you make an immediate impact in your own community.
For more information on MealConnect, visit MealConnect.org. Or sign up for a training session here:
- Keep Austin Fed (Saturday Trainings: Shadow Food Run and Orientations): https://www.givepulse.com/group/events/177
- Contact Holly Park at 512-684-2546 or hpark@centraltexasfoodbank.org
Still want to get involved with the Central Texas Food Bank but don’t think this is a good fit for you? The YWA regularly has volunteer events in product recovery, or check out individual opportunities here: https://www.centraltexasfoodbank.org/get-involved/volunteer.
About YWA
Serving the Austin community is one of the top priorities for YWA, and the group offers a number of events each month to help members do just that. If you’re interested in taking part in the organization’s opportunities for service, networking, leadership or education, attend an event or consider joining. Sign up to be reminded of the next open enrollment period, coming April 2020!
