Saving Grace Staff, Fleet Expand |
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Saving Grace has expanded this past year to add a new refrigerated van, shown in front of the four refrigerated trucks in the fleet, and two new staff positions – a deputy director and a manager of field operations. Team members shown with our fleet are, from left, Adrienne, Autumn, Tony, Tim, Beth, James, Judy, Randy, Jay and Tracy. |
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Saving Grace Meets Needs for More Food Assistance |
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Saving Grace has continued to remain flexible to respond to emerging needs for food during the pandemic and to provide leadership for new initiatives addressing food insecurity and food equity.
During the first six months of this year, we rescued and redistributed 766,874 pounds of perishable food to feed the hungry. Nearly 500,000 pounds of this was Farmers to Families Food Boxes.
While the amount of surplus food provided by our regular partners was down during the pandemic because of businesses closures and disruptions to the food supply chain, the food boxes enabled us to continue to provide nutritious produce, dairy products and meats to our nonprofit partners that were seeing increased needs from their clients. In fact, the amount of food we provided our nonprofit partners during the first half of the year increased 64% over the same time last year.
Download our Mid-year Report to learn more about Saving Grace's work and the impact this has on our environment. We appreciate growing community support that makes our work possible!
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Join Us for 'Dining for Good' at Dante |
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Tired of the same type of large fundraising event? Then join Saving Grace for our “Dining for Good” event on Monday, October 4, at Dante. Reserve a time between 5 and 8 p.m. to dine with family or friends, or select the community table option and meet new people. Either way, you’ll enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by Chef Nick Strawhecker, including a surprise curated from “rescued food.” A raffle for great prizes and opportunities to “fund a need” also will be available.
Saving Grace is carefully monitoring the rise in COVID-19 cases. If it’s not safe to hold an in-person event on October 4, we will transition to a take-home dinner.
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New Projects Seek to Create Equity in Food System
Collaborations are providing new opportunities to create greater equity in the current food system. Saving Grace’s leadership team is part of a new Soil to Sustenance grassroots group that’s dedicated to creating sustainability and equity in the food industry. The group plans to hold educational events, and the first seminar is August 13 featuring Dr. Rebecca de Souza, professor of communication at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Details are included in the Upcoming Events.
Team members also served on the planning committee for the first community “Freedge” program that recently launched a pilot with an outdoor refrigerator. Modeled after the Little Free Pantry, refrigerators will be hosted in high food insecurity neighborhoods, and Saving Grace will provide fresh perishable foods to supplement what other community members provide. Additionally, food boxes from Saving Grace are supplementing the Seimbra Nebraska Garden Project’s summer food drives.
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Confused by Food Labels? Learn What They Really Mean |
Do food label terms such as “best by,” “sell by,” “best if used by” and “use by” confuse you? If so, you’re not alone. “Most people really don’t know what those dates mean,” says Anna Curry, registered dietitian and director of culinary and nutrition programming at Whispering Roots. “There’s a lot of misinformation.”
This confusion can lead to food that is still good being discarded. Curry, who was the guest speaker for a recent Saving Grace Food for Thought Zoom presentation, said a study found 84% of consumers discarded food near the package date, at least some of the time.
“Food date labels are just an estimate,” Curry said. No federal laws regulate the dates.
Dates, Curry said, are manufacturers’ best guesses as to peak quality for products. “It doesn’t mean as soon as it hits that date it’s bad.”
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August 13, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. - Soil to Sustenance Food Justice Series
Join Saving Grace and other nonprofits that are part of the grassroots Soil to Sustenance group for the kick-off presentation in a series of seminars. Speaker is Dr. Rebecca de Souza, author of the book “Feeding the Other: Whiteness, Privilege and Neoliberal Stigma in Food Pantries.” The event takes place at the Enterprise Center, 4611 South 96 Street. Space is limited, so register now.
September 27 to October 2 – Food Day Omaha
Check out the Food Day Facebook page that week to learn more about how organizations are dealing with COVID-19, fighting food insecurity, and maintaining public health. Visit Saving Grace's booth on October 2 at the Food Day Omaha event at the Omaha Farmer's Market.
October 4 – Dining for Good, a Fundraiser for Saving Grace
Mark your calendars and make a reservation between 5 and 8 p.m. Dine with your group or at a community table and support Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue. Dante Chef Nick Strawhecker will prepare a special meal, which will include a surprise prepared with “rescued” food from local food donors. Register now.
October – Food for Thought
The focus for the next Food for Thought event will be Creighton University’s sustainability program. If conditions allow, the event will be held on campus. Date is yet to be determined.
November 18 – The Omaha Hunger Experience
Saving Grace and The Stephen Center are teaming up for the third annual Omaha Hunger Experience. Participants will receive a heat-and-eat gourmet take-home meal and a low-cost sack supper to serve at home. Conversation starters and educational materials will help build awareness of the problems of homelessness and hunger in Omaha.
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