- The U.S. FDA, USDA and EPA have a shared national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
- Saving Grace in Omaha has worked to "rescue food" for more than a decade. It estimates 536,330 pounds has been saved so far in 2023.
- The script below details how the organization works to help nourish neighbors through dozens of non-profit partners.
Broadcast transcript:
Think of all the leftovers during celebration season. So much abundance, and often, extra food gets tossed.
Nationally, a handful of agencies want to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
Saving Grace is working on a fix locally. We wondered how.
They go in empty. But these bins come out... full. Heaping full. All the food is donated. And once it's loaded, it's on to the next stop and the next and the next. A process we saw as we rode along throughout Omaha.
Water and waffles came from Whole Foods. Whole heat-and-eat meals came from HyVee, along with produce. Putting in the steps and miles is what it takes to rescue food.
"We deliver it same day, and it's free of charge," Beth Ostdiek Smith, the founder and CEO, explained. And she described how Saving Grace started.
"I saw this excess food and I knew of a lot of people in our community that could use it. But the more I've been involved, the more I realize how much food loss there is, and up to 38% of food produced ends up in a landfill when we have all these hungry people. Besides what the environmental impact is of that food."
Saving Grace is the only organization in Omaha dedicated to saving perishable goods. Starting small with three donors and helping three organization — things have changed.
"We now have over 110 food donors and we're taking it to over 40 non-profits," Ostdiek Smith said.
Table Grace Cafe is one of those non-profits.
"It is high quality food. It just didn't make it out to a consumer on time," Gregory Foote, a sous-chef, summarized.
At Table Grace, guests don't pay. They can donate if they'd like. So, yes, deliveries from Saving Grace make a difference.
"Before they come in some days, I am scraping and scrounging trying to imagine something that doesn't exist, and then, something perfect comes in. Whether it be a bell pepper, a carrot, an onion, something simple to most people, but to me, it finishes a soup, it completes a salad, it's a topper to a pizza. And it helps us feed about 30 people for lunch and 30 people for breakfast," Foote shared.
Meaningful; however, at Saving Grace, they see there's room to do more.
The organization emphasizes that safety — both in the process and the food — are keys for them. Business owners or managers who want to donate should visit this website.
Policy recommendations and education campaigns are forthcoming from the federal agencies. The public comment window is open now. Take part here. The ID number is EPA-HQ-OLEM-2022-0415-0001.
