On the Road in Worcester County
Two short months ago, we expanded to Worcester County with our ninth food rescue truck route! Now that we’ve settled in, we’re taking a moment to share more about Spoonfuls’ work in Worcester.
We kicked things off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Congressman Jim McGovern, a fierce advocate for hunger. Congressman McGovern joined our Worcester County Food Rescue Coordinators, Andy Fehribach and Kim Vanacore, in distributing the food they rescued that day to Green Island Community Center, one of our new nonprofit partners.
Before launching the route, Kim and Andy trained on our existing routes in Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Hampden County so they could learn how food rescue works and how we do it at Spoonfuls. Then they took on new waters in the Worcester area and since have rescued about 40,000 pounds of food. That’s enough for around 32,000 meals for people in Worcester County!
Andy and Kim, like all of our Food Rescue Coordinators, focus on rescuing unsellable, but still good to eat, healthy food from grocery stores and farms in the region. Across all Spoonfuls routes, fruits and vegetables make up around 40% of the food we rescue!
In the Worcester area, we’re working with eight vendor locations in the Worcester Regional Food Hub, where we picked up these beautiful veggies in the Worcester area. Our longtime partner, Little Leaf Farms, provides us with a share of their lettuce through the Hub, too!
The food Kim and Andy pick up get distributed the same day to nonprofit organizations serving people facing food insecurity. We’ve partnered with more than 20 organizations in the area, each focused on serving the unique needs of their community.
Pictured here is El Buen Samartino, who operates a food distribution program. After Spoonfuls drops off some of the food we rescued, they repackage it into boxes that are given to their clients. Other partners may use the food we bring to make a meal for those coming by for lunch or dinner.
It’s been a great two months in Worcester, and we look forward to many more! Thank you to our nonprofit partners, vendors, and funders for working with us to make this possible.
Says Andy, “Every partner has been incredibly supportive, helpful, and grateful so far. It’s great to work on and learn about the impact we have together in feeding our community.”
Check out this blog to learn more about our partners in Worcester County. And stay tuned! This summer, we’re expanding again with a second truck in the MetroWest region.