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  • 20 million Americans still don't have enough to eat. A grass-roots movement of free fridges aims to help

    The pandemic economy has left more people without money for quality food, a need addressed in some communities by "freedges" – community-run refrigerators dispensing free food. The food gets donated by groceries, restaurants, and individuals. Volunteers maintain the fridges, which typically are placed outdoors on a sidewalk. This form of "mutual aid" has grown in popularity nationwide, despite food-safety concerns by city health officials.

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  • 'Take what you need—leave what you can' — Stark Co. woman sets up anonymous food pantries for those in need

    “Take what you need—leave what you can" is the motto etched on the 16 anonymous “Blessing Boxes” set up around Stark County. The wooden cabinets are stocked with non-perishable food, household items, and personal hygiene items. People can access the boxes whenever they need to and can take as much as they would like. The boxes are made and re-stocked several times a week by volunteers. One of the boxes sits outside a local elementary school, not only provided needed supplies to students and their families, but students have also taken responsibility for helping to keep it filled.

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  • New grocery store reflects Cornerstone church's belief that 'South Dallas deserves beautiful things'

    The new Southpoint Community Market in Dallas is the product of seven years of planning in a process based on community input about the need for accessible, nutritious, affordable food and other everyday groceries. Anchoring what once was a run-down shopping center, the new grocery and coffee bar is supported by Cornerstone Community Enterprises, a nearby church's philanthropic arm, and the Real Estate Council Foundation, which will cover the store's financial losses until it is self-sustaining. The store is part of a larger effort to provide for a healthier neighborhood.

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  • Philly Families Are Taking Charge of Their Own Food Security

    In 2014, the community organization Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha piloted a community-based Food Buying Club in Philadelphia. This initiative allowed local residents to buy food in bulk at wholesale prices. The goal was to strengthen food security and combat the lack of affordable and nutritious food in their neighborhood. Despite distributing over 62,000 pounds of fresh produce, the program shut down due to financial reasons. Now, after forming an advisory council and working on their business strategy with others in the community, the club is reopening and is looking to expand across the city.

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  • Local Platforms for Online Food Delivery Are Eating the Big Guys' Lunch

    Locally owned restaurant delivery platforms charge lower commissions than national giants like GrubHub, allow customers to order food on smart-phone apps, and have found ways to be profitable while also keeping money in local economies. While platforms differ by locale, cooperative models are increasingly popular. For example, Delivery Co-op in Lexington, KY provides customers with unlimited deliveries for a monthly fee, charges participating restaurants a flat monthly fee, and pays drivers a base salary plus tips, with benefits kicking after three months of full-time work and profit-sharing after one year.

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  • Federal program that helps farmers during the pandemic is changing the local food landscape

    The Farmers to Family program, an initiative from the U.S Department of Agriculture set aside $3 billion for its Farmers to Families Food Box program, part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The program awarded contracts farmers and distributors to provide food for families experiencing food insecurity. The article lays out some of the challenges with the program like issues with how the contracts were awarded, difficulty coordinating between distributors and farmers, stringent requirements, as well as the quick, creative solutions that were deployed to overcome them.

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  • Mobile food pantry helping Hoosiers in need

    A mobile food pantry is helping to increase food availability for those in the Indianapolis community. A 28-seat passenger bus was converted by Pro-Act Indy and turned into a food pantry, which takes the food to those who need it most, but who may not have the means to get to food banks.

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  • How this donation app helped get food directly to hungry people during the pandemic

    “DoorDash for the food insecure” is how the founder of Food Rescue Hero describes the service that is connecting surplus food supply to those who can put it to good use. The service takes on a growing crisis of food insecurity while also diverting food from landfills. The initial pilot was created in Pittsburgh, where a team of experts created an app to redirect surplus food from restaurants and events to nonprofits that can get the food where it is most needed. A network of volunteers is notified when deliveries in their area are ready for pickup without much inconvenience to their daily routines.

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  • Black Women Come Up Short On Funds And Food In COVID-19 Pandemic

    Village Minds was started by Natia Simone as a Facebook page to connect people in need of food and assistance, due to COVID-19 and grocery store closures after the protests following the murder of George Floyd. However, a broader issue of food insecurity led her to expand into a formal organization that has made more than 3,650 grocery deliveries. A partnership with a local produce store helps fill bags with fresh food and a food pantry provides other staples. With the help of friends and family, Simone uses a rented U-Haul to deliver the groceries to seniors throughout Chicago.

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  • Food waste is heating up the planet. Is dumpster-diving by app a solution?

    The app Too Good to Go helps restaurants and other shops prevent food waste by selling their extra food to people for a cheaper price. So far, more than 700,000 people in the United States have downloaded the app and the company estimates that, on average, each meal sold halts 2.2 pounds of food from ending up in the garbage, which ends up reducing carbon emissions. There are challenges to widespread implementation, but the app has launched in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle.

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