Dumpster Diving.

Please take heart, folks, and get in touch with your local Food Banks, community outreach, and churches.

A lot of stores have turned things around, and with legislative relief, are donating outdated stuff.

Wife and I have worked with some of these.

The homeless seem to come outa the woodwork, load up.

It's great for your internal spirit, and those without seem to be quite grateful, especially in winter

There's still plenty of waste, and that's a damn shame
 

Gary O' said:
Please take heart, folks, and get in touch with your local Food Banks, community outreach, and churches.

A lot of stores have turned things around, and with legislative relief, are donating outdated stuff.

Wife and I have worked with some of these.

The homeless seem to come outa the woodwork, load up.

It's great for your internal spirit, and those without seem to be quite grateful, especially in winter

There's still plenty of waste, and that's a damn shame
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Well said, Gary. Beautiful.
 
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In our area we have a very large senior center. Our senior center, as well as, several other organizations such as People In Need (PIN), Community Gardens and others have worked with all the groceries and big box stores in the area to take all of the close to and out of date food and merchandise products on a donation basis. In our senior center we send out what are called "volunteer buyers" and select food and other items we can utilize. For example:
* all of the dog food that might have been thrown out, is brought to our center and is delivered to seniors having pets at the time meals on wheels is delivered. ( if they request dog foods) We always have dog treats with us and some are dogs are setting and waiting. They announce our presence.
* Every Wednesday is pastry and bread day. So that day of the week we have volunteers that pick up the various items from the various stores and it is available to seniors on that day. If a senior asks for wheat bread then it is pulled and delivered with meals on wheels, otherwise free to choose from.
* Same with all the other items, like Thursday is laundry day. All the soap products that are available from the various stores are available to the seniors. If they ask for it, we deliver it, otherwise it's free to pick up.
* The other agencies does much the same and if there are surplus of any give item, the other agencies can take it from our center and make it available to there clients.

We have a rolling list of clients that need certain items that the buyers watch for and it seems to work pretty well. It is all volunteer workers by the various various organization. That includes pickup of the items, if you have a covered truck, suv or van.
 

Too bad the grocery stores don't find a way to have the waste picked up by those who can distribute it to the needy rather than throw it in dumpsters. Personally, I wouldn't dumpster dive for food...but I don't have to. For people who have no other choice, I say more power to them. I wouldn't be surprised if more people aren't having to go that route now with an incredible number of people out of work and not able to afford rent and food for their families. It's such a terrible situation.
 
Consumers at least in the US became wasteful when we became prosperous.

Mom was a child during the Depression when most people did not waste. "We Americans are spoiled," she'd say.

Mom: "You asked for those portions young man, so you eat them. Don't you know there are starving people in China who would give their eye teeth for what you waste. (For some reason it was always China and always eye teeth.) :giggle: But nowadays there are starving people here.
 
I guess it depends on what your idea of "waste food" is. I'm not sure where that line is. Some may consider food that doesn't make you gag as acceptable. Some others may have different standards. We have built up a system to provide safe ,secure, edible food. It is an economic industry for profit. It is not primarily a charitable organization. I don't believe safe, secure, edible food can be found at the bottom of a dumpster. Rather than feeding the needy with scraps, provide for an income, so that they can afford safe, secure edible food. And we should improve our methods of food preservation to allow for a longer shelf life,, and decrees food waste.
 

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