Food rescue, also known as food recovery or food salvage, is defined as the process taken to glean foods, food is rescued/salvaged, non-perishable food is collected, and prepared foods are rescued and provided to those individuals and families in need through local food programs, organizations, and sources. In Madison County IN, there are many opportunities to get involved in food rescues. Look through our wide variety of resources below to see how you can become more involved.
How you can start the process
Food Rescue Donor Resource Guide
Food Rescue Recipient Resource Guide
Current Madison County Projects
Food Rescue Pilot Project
The Madison County Local Food Network partnered with Madison Park Church Hunger Initiative on a pilot program targeted to eliminate food waste from catered events at the church. This program started in the fall of 2019 by putting a policy in place requesting that a food rescue plan was developed for all events held at the church that involved food. For each event, the church staff person discussed with the event coordinator about their plans for the leftover food. For this pilot program, all leftover food from events were taken to Dove Harbor, a ministry of Madison Park Church. The church plans to continue partnering with events to rescue food that is leftover and hopes to expand local recipients agencies in the future.
Worldwide, National and Local resources:
Local
Food Drop (Program that Rescues Commercially Rejected Food in Indiana)
Hoosier Green (Local Fresh Produce, No Questions Asked Program)
Indy Food Council (Additional Resources)
Indiana Scrap Initiative (Source Reduction, Food Rescue, and Composting)
K-12 Food Rescue (Food Rescue Resources for Local Schools)
Composting in Schools (Tips for Starting a School Composting Program)
Composting Video Series (From East Central Indiana Solid Waste District)
National
Emerson Act FAQ (Liability Information for Food Donations)
The Farmer’s Share (National Farmer’s Union)
Fresher Food, Less Shrink (Article)
NRDC Food Waste (Food Waste Statistics and Resources)
On-Farm Food Loss (Article)
Rachel’s Table (Food Rescue Program Example)
Refeed America (Potential Food Rescue Program Example)
Society of St. Andrew (Faith Based National Gleaning Network)
Spoiler Alert (Business Resource for Reducing Food Waste)
Supermarket Report Card (Evaluating Supermarket Efforts to Reduce Food Waste)
USDA Food Loss and Waste (Food Waste Webinar Resource)
Curbside Composting (Evaluating Municipal Compost Collection)
Home Composting Guide (Earth 911 Composting Basics)
Composting for Beginners (Gardening and Composting Resources)
Worldwide
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Food Tank (Food Systems Change Organization)
No Food Waste (India Food Rescue Program Example)
Winnow (Reducing Food Waste in Commercial Kitchen)
World Wildlife Fund Food Waste (Published Research and Global Initiatives)
World Wildlife Fund Study on Food Waste in Schools (Indianapolis Included)
Madison County Local Food Network 