Food Connection

Origins:

Food Connection RESCUES surplus chef-prepared food, REPACKS into meals, REDISTRIBUTES into communities which REDUCES food waste while easing hunger. We rescue food from the Omni Grove Park Inn, University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA), and Ridgecrest Conference Center. We then redistribute the surplus chef-prepared food by: Connecting it directly to our agency recipient partners ( Homeward Bound, Salvation Army, and Loving Food Resources) who serve our unsheltered neighbors, seniors living with food insecurities, children, families, veterans and more. We also create a well-balanced and nutritious meal by combining a protein, starch, and veggie, and placing them in microwaveable containers. We then take those meals out into the community and serve them with our Food Truck Mobile Meals Program. Our current weekly Mobile Meal distributions includes Youth Transformed for Life after school and summer programs (75 meals), In Real Life after school at Asheville Middle (100 meals), Verner Center for Early Childhood Learning Central Campus (150 meals), Collins Early Learning Center in Black Mountain (10 meals), Homeward Bound’s residents at Woodfin Apartments (20 meals), women and children in residence at Hope for Tomorrow (15 meals), seniors at Blue Ridge Apartments (30 meals), Spruce Hill Apartments (30 meals), Deaverview Apartments (60 meals), Leicester Community (125 meals), Ridgeview mobile home community in Swannanoa (70 meals), survivors of domestic violence at Helpmate (30 meals), Sunrise Community Center (30 meals) and residents at Blair H Clark Respite (8 meals). We also distribute 250+ nutritious heat-and-serve meals each week at our free Swannanoa Drive Thru.

Contribution:

I am a Board member and volunteer meal packer for the non-profit organization Food Connection.

Objectives:

We believe that access to nutritious food is a human right. The Food Connection Mission Food Connection eases hunger, reduces waste and supports our local food industry by redistributing surplus prepared food and purchasing meals from chefs to serve our neighbors in need. Food Connection is currently operating in North Carolina in Buncombe and Madison Counties.

Impact:

NONPROFIT FOOD CONNECTION HAS RESCUED AND DELIVERED OVER 670,000 MEALS TO WESTERN CAROLINA NEIGHBORS IN NEED Since 2015, Food Connection has had a significant impact on the environment and families in the surrounding Asheville area. We have distributed over 670,000 nutritious meals (in the last couple of years, using our free food truck experience!), kept 250+ tons of fresh food out of the landfill, and saved an estimated 1.8 million pounds of methane gas from being produced.

Quote:

“We continue to believe that no fresh food should end up in the landfill while our neighbors go hungry,” says Marisha MacMorran, Executive Director: “Food Connection connects the dots between those with too much food, to those without enough.” The Food Connection is a “matchmaker,” according to Co-Founder and Creative Director Flori Pate. That means "The organization partners with others to collect leftover prepared food. Labeling and storing it properly — and then combining it into individual meals — takes a lot of effort and the right tools. The goal, of course, is to get these nutritious chef-prepared meals to community members who don’t always have enough for their tables."

Support Statement:

. “Our team is grateful that there is an alternative to throwing out perfectly good food. Food Connection is the catalyst to get it where it’s needed most,” said Chef Melissa McKnight from the Omni Grove Park Inn.

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