Let’s Make Food Waste History
2023 FOOD RECOVERY: RECORD-BREAKING YEAR
Rolling Tomato’s vision is to make food waste history. According to the FDA, food is the “single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills and represents wasted nourishment that could have helped feed families in need.”
Rolling Tomato exists to be part of the solution in Idaho. In 2023, we recovered and distributed 216,492 pounds of food, valued at $386,393! That's more than triple last year's food recovery total! Fresh produce accounted for half of all recovered food, and our amazing volunteers bring this perfectly edible nourishment to places like the Good Samaritan Home, Women’s and Children’s Alliance, and BSU’s food pantry for students. Go team!
FREE EVENT
FIELD TO FORK FESTIVAL Celebrate Idaho Food and Drink
When: Thursday, January 18th from 9am-5pm
Where: Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP)
Register to attend here
See you there!
NEW GRANT
Thanks to the American Heart Association, we can expand our toolbox and services!
NEW FOOD RECIPIENTS
Our newest food partners are: Idaho Community Outreach Behavioral
Services (ID COBS), a 501(c)3 organization that provides trauma care for
victims of human trafficking across Idaho.
Additionally, we are able to support Miracle Grounds Food Ministry, a
food bank in Nampa assisting 70 families a week.
OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
We are fundraising for a delivery vehicle! Luckily one of our volunteers has a
big van to haul the big produce runs but we need some wheels to call our
own. Click here to take a trip and see what a typical food recovery run from
Charlie’s Produce is like for our HealthCorps volunteer, Kaylene!
FOOD PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Give Hope Food Pantry has been operating for 20 years. Supported mainly by a few local non-profits and tithe contributions from folks at Hope Lutheran Church, where Sunshine has been a member for 12 years, the goal of this organization is to make sure no one is hungry. Thanks in large part to the labor of love from Sunshine and 18 volunteers, 7,000 people have benefited this year with November being their busiest month to date, serving over 800 people within 150 local households. The vast majority of recipients are families.
Thanks so much for reading. We don’t want to bug anyone, so if you would prefer to opt out of this newsletter, please let me know.
Live deliciously,
Kaylene Bishop, HealthCorps Volunteer