Every year, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States, enough to feed millions of people who go hungry daily. In the U.S., 30–40% of the food supply is wasted annually (approximately $408 billion worth).
— Feed Louisville
Let’s take a lateral step and look just a bit beyond the local restaurant and dining scenes, to the work being done by Feed Louisville and Zest.
Their culinary teams prepare food while pursuing complementary but distinct missions:
- Feed Louisville, led by Chef Callie Critchelow, creates meals for our unhoused community using community-rescued food and parlaying local farm partnerships.
- Zest (led by Chef Emmaly Saliga) supports and extends Feed Louisville’s mandate, developing culinary offerings (grab-and-go meals) using fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and farmers.
The following lightly edited information was submitted to F & D. The above video provides an excellent introduction to the subject matter.
You can support the work of Feed Louisville by getting involved: volunteering, donating, purchasing ZEST meals, or simply spreading the word: “each act of support helps ensure that everyone in the community has access to nourishing, dignified food.”
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Feed Louisville: Turning Good Food Into Community Care
Feed Louisville works at the intersection of food rescue and hunger relief, transforming surplus food into nourishment for neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Through partnerships with restaurants, caterers, and licensed food producers, Feed Louisville rescues viable, safely held food that would otherwise go to waste and incorporates it into the daily production of hundreds of hot, hearty meals. These meals are distributed directly to people living unhoused or facing daily food insecurity throughout Louisville.
As a commissary kitchen rooted in food justice, Feed Louisville supports a network of community feeding partners who are on the front lines every day. These partners include street outreach programs, day shelters, food pantries, and other organizations that connect individuals with essential resources.
By providing prepared meals, Feed Louisville allows these partners to focus on higher-level goals for their clients, such as accessing medical care, securing employment, and finding stable housing.
The organization’s impact is felt in three meaningful ways.
- First, food rescue partners gain peace of mind knowing their hard work and quality food are feeding people instead of filling landfills.
- Second, community feeding partners are empowered with one of the most critical resources in their work—reliable access to nutritious meals—so they can address the broader challenges facing Louisville’s unhoused and food-insecure neighbors.
- Most importantly, the individuals receiving these...Read more
