Local Chefs, Home Cooks, Composters, and Food Advocates Join Together to Fight Hunger and Reduce Food Waste During DMV Food Recovery Week

Silver Spring, Maryland and Washington, DC — Manna Food Center’s Community Food Rescue network and the DC Food Recovery Working Group have joined forces to host a week of free, mostly virtual events to show metro DC residents easy things they can do at home — and ways to support community efforts — to reduce food waste and increase food security in our region. DMV Food Recovery Week events will take place from October 12 through 17.

“The pandemic has created concern about the resilience of our local food system — people want to know how they can do more with less, and waste less food,” said Josh Singer, DC Parks and Rec (DPR) Community Garden Specialist and founder of the DC Food Recovery Working Group. “DMV Food Recovery Week features a great line-up of events where members of the community can learn how to save money and prevent food waste by turning leftovers into tasty second meals, preserving fruits and veggies, making sauces and dips from garden stalks and seeds, and more.”

The Week’s events include a panel of experts from the region’s leading food recovery organizations who will share the latest innovations for rescuing perfectly good surplus food from businesses and getting it to organizations that serve community members experiencing hunger. One in-person event offers the opportunity to tour Red Wiggler Community Farm, a Community Food Rescue member in Montgomery County.

“Food rescue is more important than ever during this time when the pandemic has left so many people struggling financially and facing food insecurity,” said Jackie DeCarlo, CEO of Manna Food Center. “Local farmers, food businesses, and community volunteers play an important role in fighting the twin problems of hunger and food waste. I hope this week will drive more awareness of and support for the region’s efforts to feed more and waste less.”

Along with Manna’s Community Food Rescue and the DC Food Recovery Working Group, events will be hosted by: Food Recovery Network, Food Rescue US, Prince William Food Rescue, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Virginia Cooperative Extension, DC Department of Parks and Recreation, World Wildlife Fund, EatOrToss.com, and Red Wiggler Community Farm.

All DMV Food Recovery Week events are free to the public, but registration is required and people can sign up at www.dmvfoodrecoveryweek.org.  

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About the DMV Food Recovery Week sponsors:

Manna Food Center serves as the premier food bank of Montgomery County, providing food to 32,000 individuals each year and helping distribute rescued food to soup kitchens, food pantries and emergency shelters county-wide. Since 1983, Manna has worked to fight hunger, feed hope and transition recipients from a place of scarcity to prosperity.

Community Food Rescue, a program of Manna Food Center, is the coordinated food recovery network of Montgomery County, Maryland. This program enhances the good work of businesses, individuals, and organizations that already recover and redistribute perfectly good food to people experiencing hunger.

The DC Food Recovery Working Group comprises a variety of partners from food banks, non-profits, and for-profits working on food recovery, DC government agencies, local environmental and sustainability organizations, and food recovery advocates. The Working Group promotes food recovery programs, organizations, and resources, and develops new food recovery partnerships, programs, and resources for greater DC.

About Food Waste Prevention Week in the DMV’s Co-Hosts

Community Food Rescue, a program of Manna Food Center, is the coordinated food recovery network of Montgomery County, Maryland. This program partners with businesses, individuals, and organizations to recover and redistribute perfectly good food to people experiencing hunger.

The DC Food Recovery Working Group comprises a variety of partners from food banks, non-profits, and for-profits working on food recovery, DC government agencies, local environmental and sustainability organizations, and food recovery advocates. The Working Group promotes food recovery programs, organizations, and resources, and develops new food recovery partnerships, programs, and resources for greater DC.

The Montgomery County Food Council serves as the primary connection point for businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and residents around food system issues in our County. The Council brings together over 2,000 local and regional partners in community-wide education, advocacy, and capacity building initiatives in support of an equitable and resilient food system that is healthy for our community, economy, and environment.  

 

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