Community
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Keep US Fed Montgomery County recovers excess nutritional food that might otherwise be thrown away.
The nonpro t works with several local businesses and grocery stores to gather perishable food.
The nonpro t is one of the largest perishable food recovery organizations in the area.
PHOTOS COURTESY KEEP US FED MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Keep US Fed Montgomery County combats food insecurity, reduces waste through collaboration
Mary Blocker, vice president of Keep US Fed Montgomery County, said the nonpro t organiza- tion was founded under the Leadership Montgom- ery County class of 2015 to address food insecurity and waste. Statistically, 30%-40% of food the U.S. produces is wasted, Blocker said. In Montgomery County, one in six residents is food insecure, according to Keep US Fed. Through a collaboration with the Montgomery County Food Bank, Keep US Fed Montgomery County recovers excess nutritional food that might otherwise be thrown away and delivers it to over 35 Montgomery County shelters, community food pantries and other nonpro ts. About the program Funded by donations and sponsorships, Keep US Fed is the largest food recovery organization for perishable foods in the area, Blocker said. The nonpro t works with several local busi- nesses and grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Kroger, McKenzie’s and other local restaurants to gather perishable food. Gathered by roughly 96 volunteers a week, the food is delivered directly to local shelters and nonpro ts. “It’s a really special thing for the volunteers because they go to the donor site, they pick up the food, they go to the recipient site, and sometimes
they’ll meet some of the clients,” Blocker said. “So they see the whole passage of what we do in the course of their 60-90 minute time on the job.” The impact Today, Keep US Fed Montgomery County has 120 pickups a week and distributes more than 1 million pounds a year—compared to 22,000 pounds it donated in its rst year. Food donors have pro- vided over 8 million pounds of food to deliver free to local nonpro t community partners during the past 10 years, Blocker said. The nonpro t operates seven days a week, with the exception of Christmas Day, Blocker said. How to help “Donations are very welcome. Right now, we’re able to provide about seven meals for every dollar that gets donated. So a small donation makes a big di erence,” Blocker said. To educate the community, Keep US Fed collaborates with local schools and local Lions Clubs in the area on the impact of food waste and food insecurity. Anyone who is interested in contributing to the mission of Keep US Fed Montgomery County can go online to make a donation or register to volunteer for the nonpro t.
Keep US Fed Montgomery County is operated by volunteers.
Keep US Fed Montgomery County
Makes 120 weekly pickups
Donates 1 million pounds of food per year
Works with 96 volunteers
Delivers to 35 shelters
www.keepusfedmoco.org
SOURCE: KEEP US FED MONTGOMERY COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION
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