Restaurant Chain Donates Unserved Food To Needy Families

g under pg under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
edited April 2012 in A Moving Train
Restaurant Chain Donates Unserved Food To Needy Families

Take a look at the short video, we in the USA throw away so much food and many chain restaurants are the culprits. With so many in this country going hungry and are LIVING hungry THIS is a great idea. I have to visit more often Red Lobster or Olive garden for a nice salad even though I could make a better one. :)

I can recall a program back in Maryland where people report recently road killed deer which are in turn pick up, prepared and given to food banks. Any of you know of services who help those who may go hungry in the US.

By Chelsea Clinton
Rock Center Special Correspondent

Every day, more than 50 million Americans are at risk of not having enough to eat; yet, each year in the United States, 40 percent of our edible food is simply thrown away. Today, in the face of unprecedented need, there is no one face of the hungry - they are children, parents, grandparents and even the working poor.

Many of us think about hunger when there are canned food drives around Thanksgiving, but hunger doesn't have a season. Year-round, there are millions of pounds of unserved food that could be put to better use. At one Fortune 500 restaurant company, excess food is being put to use. The food is finding its way from restaurant kitchens to the places where people need it most, including missions, shelters and after-care programs. I saw this program firsthand in Orlando, Fla., earlier in April.



Darden owns the largest number of casual dining restaurants in the country, including such well-known brands as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Red Lobster. In 2004, Darden management noticed that some of its restaurant managers were engaged in what they called 'random acts of kindness.' Instead of throwing away unserved food at the end of each night, some managers were donating it to local food banks and hunger relief organizations. It was a small percentage of places, but Drew Madsen, Darden president and chief operating officer, told me that it was enough to make the company take notice. In 2004, donating became a company-wide policy and today, in every one of Darden's more than 1,900 locations, staff members stay extra time to prepare, package, freeze and store food for pickup by local food bank partners. Darden calls it their 'Harvest' program.


Peace and food for those in need.
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


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Comments

  • curlygirly9curlygirly9 Vancouver, WA Posts: 1,872
    That is awesome.
    Rose Garden Arena - Nov 02, 2000, Key Arena - Oct 22, 2001, Key Arena - Dec 08, 2002, Key Arena - Dec 09, 2002, Clark County Amphitheater - Sep 26, 2009
  • usamamasan1usamamasan1 Posts: 4,695
    Panera bread donates all their baked goods when possible after close to charity
  • hedonisthedonist Posts: 24,524
    I've never eaten at either restaurant, but good for them!

    However, and perhaps this is naive of me, but I can't imagine that this isn't already being done elsewhere, in many places...isn't it?

    It's amazing, the seeming wastefulness (not only of food either) that goes on here. But even in just that realm, look at those all-you-can-eat buffets; craft services in the entertainment industry; the feasts served on cruises; the cooking shows on tv. On and on.
  • brianluxbrianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,428
    Excellent! I think this sort of thing used to happen more often and it's great to hear the idea may be coming back.
    "Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!"
    -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"

    "Try to not spook the horse."
    -Neil Young













  • g under pg under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,200
    e1334785191.png

    Something a bit different from my friend Michael that can help the planet and our future.

    “Where in the World is Away?” Book Release Earth Day 2012

    On April 18, in celebration of Earth Day, Michael released his second children’s book “Where in the World is Away?” A story about the importance of recycling, reducing waste, and re-using what we can. The self-published book is available in hardcover and, in the near future, digital formats. It comes with a humorous read-along CD featuring Michael, his son Ade, friend Addison Savage, singer Jolene Rust, and Spearhead band mate J Bowman.

    “I hope that this book inspires families and children to make recycling as much a part of their lives as brushing their teeth before bedtime…only more fun!” says Michael.

    michaelfranti_col2.jpg

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
    .....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti

    *The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)


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