Faith in Rescuing Food

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Do you ever wonder how food banks get their food?

Do you ever wonder how people without enough get their food?

Do you ever wonder if food banks run out of food?

Food banks rely on the goodness and kindness of businesses, volunteers, and supporters. It isn’t easy, but it requires hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of faith that in the end, people will not let their fellow brother/sister go hungry.

On a hot, steamy Wednesday morning, I went to follow one of these incredible volunteers, Ms. Victoria, a retiree who devotes her time driving a 10-food truck, lifting 40-lb. boxes in the NC sun, and making a whole lot of people happy. Ms. Victoria volunteers for one of the largest – and certainly most unique – rescue food missions in North Carolina. The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, started by two incredible women (with a whole lot of faith themselves) who saw a lot of food waste and decided to do something about, is more than a food bank. It’s got programs for kids – stuffing backpacks full of snacks, culinary training programs, and farming/gardening programs.

But without food, there would no programs. Without donor businesses and individuals, there would be no food. Without volunteers, there would be no one to pick up the food or prepare the food. This simple line of logic is a reminder that indeed, like it or not, we are all connected.

So we started loading a truck at 7:30 in the morning, filling it with everything from breads to meats to milk – which is a hard-to-come-by-much-desired commodity.

Then it was off to pick up food from local partners who kindly donate pounds and pounds of food each day. The first stop was Edible Art, a local bakery in Raleigh, NC. In the early morning hours before it opened, the bakery smelled like heaven…and they kept on a table all the delightful cakes and pastries leftover from the day before ready wrapped to go.

Other businesses, including Trader Joe’s, Costco, BJ’s, and a local vending company also generously donated food. The Food Shuttle never knows what kind of food they’ll get – sometimes it’s lots of produce, other times, dry goods. Sometimes, they’ll get several hundred pounds; other times, they get just a bit. On this day, we happened to be blessed with much bread and pastries. Even flowers.

One issue that arises is that oftentimes, businesses fear getting sued if someone gets sick from produce (even though there is a law protecting them from this) so they end up giving a lot more cakes and muffins. While sweet and delicious, there is the issue of giving non-nutritious food. Is it better to give any kind of food or is it a disservice giving the less fortunate sugar-packed, nutrient-less foodstuffs?

In any case, what I’m blown away is how the chefs at the sites that receive this food can whip up a meal for hundreds without knowing the ingredients until the morning of. These are true culinary geniuses. In between food pickups, Ms. Victoria and I drop food off at various sites, including the Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen, which serves over 300 people daily, the Salvation Army, and a men’s homeless shelter at a local church. We unloaded produce, bananas, frozen crabmeat, vegetables, breads with the help of, who else, volunteers at these sites.

Ms. Victoria and I return to the Shuttle, our truck almost empty, the rest going to someone else later that day. We have weighed how much food we received in donations and distributed – over 1,100 pounds.

Not bad for a morning of some muscle, heart, and a bit of faith that hunger can be eradicated.

Tags: BJ's, Costco, Edible Arts, food, food book, Food Justice, Food Shuttle, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, North Carolina, Raleigh, Salvation Army, Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen, Trader Joe's

Category: Featured Articles: Food Politics, Food Politics