Category: events

2022 Year in Review

On By foodrescueqcIn Board, community outreach, education, events, food rescue, food waste, hunger, Member in Food Rescue, partners, volunteerLeave a comment

Dear Food Rescue Partnership Stakeholders and Friends,

I would like to reflect on the last year and what is to come for the Food Rescue Partnership. 

In 2022, stakeholders learned about ‘Rural Food Deserts across the State of Iowa’ from Jordon Burrows, reconvened for our first 100% in-person meeting for a fiscal year 2023 planning session, and launched a ‘Food rescue at Home’ social media campaign.

The Food Rescue Partnership hosted its fourth Food Rescue Workshop at St. Ambrose University! This was an exciting return to our in-person event and proved to be a successful collaboration with St. Ambrose University as many of their students attended. More than 40 attendees made new connections and learned how food waste and reduction trends changed during the COVID pandemic, a local model for personalized healthy food pantry, and how to compost at home.

For the third year in a row, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Food Rescue Partnership earned a Food Recovery Challenge Award! The Food Rescue Partnership is one of 18 innovative businesses and organizations that are being recognized by the U.S. EPA at a national level for work completed in 2020 and 2021. This is the first time our Quad Cities’ coalition earned national recognition!

To date, the Food Rescue Partnership has diverted more than 53,963 pounds of food from the landfill by making connections to feed hungry people, feed animals, and/or compost. 

Ringing in 2023, I look forward to expanding our food waste reduction and recovery messaging to at home strategies and learning more about various compost methods.

The Food Rescue Partnership is driven by caring and motivated stakeholders and community partners.  Most importantly, the Food Rescue Partnership is a team of great people.  On behalf of myself and the Food Rescue Partnership Board, thank you.

Happy New Year,

Christina McDonough, Board Chair

Local Chefs Recognized for Heroic Food Rescue Efforts during COVID-19

On By foodrescueqcIn community outreach, Donor Recognition Program, education, events, food rescue, food waste, hunger, Member in Food Rescue, partners, volunteer1 Comment

The Quad Cities Food Rescue Partnership added a new feature to their biennial event with the announcement of the Quad Cities first-ever Food Rescue Warrior and Member of the Year. 

Chris Carton, Food and Beverage Director and Executive Chef; Pete Vogel, Food Rescue Partnership; and Christina McDonough, Food Rescue Partnership
Chef Chris Carton, Pete Vogel, Christina McDonough

“Chef Chris Carton of the RiverCenter|Adler Theatre exemplifies food rescue on a daily basis,” says Christina McDonough, Chair of the Food Rescue Partnership.  “During the particularly difficult pandemic times in our community, the RiverCenter|Adler Theatre is recognized for Chef Carton’s initiative to confirm the ability to operate a safe community kitchen under the RiverCenter|Adler Theatre’s food license so that professional food handlers could volunteer to prepare and serve food that would have otherwise been wasted,” explains McDonough.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is blckpearlcatering-.jpg
Pete Vogel, Chef Yolanda Graves-Jefferson, Cassandra Nephew, Christina McDonough

Similarly, the Food Rescue Partnership called for nominations of the Quad

Cities first-ever, Food Rescue Warrior.  “Yolanda Graves-Jefferson received heartfelt nominations for her passion to rescue food and feed those in need,” says McDonough.  Graves-Jefferson developed a passion for donating excess food to local hunger relief agencies as the Owner and Chef of Blckpearl Catering.  “Graves-Jefferson knew increasing numbers of people faced illness and unemployment during COVID-19 and utilized her culinary experience and personal resources to feed more than 200 people every week,” explains McDonough.

The Food Rescue Partnership recognized the RiverCenter|Adler Theatre and Yolanda Graves-Jefferson for their heroic food rescue efforts during the Food Rescue Webinar Series.  Webinar recordings will be available for replay here.

Food Rescue Workshop Releases Full Agenda

On By Lea HenselIn events, UncategorizedLeave a comment

FoodRescueWorkshop_FullPageFlyer_v4
Click to download the Food Rescue Workshop flyer.

The Quad Cities’ Food Rescue Partnership is excited to announce the full agenda for the free Food Rescue Workshop on October 4, 2018, in Davenport, IA.

The workshop agenda features speakers that will cover food waste problems and efforts at a local and regional level, along with a panel discussion highlighting food rescue successes from The Adler Theater/River Center, Panera Bread, and Augustana College. The keynote speaker, Matt Finnegan, from Baked Beer & Bread Co., will discuss strategies to monitor food purchasing and controlling waste by utilizing food to maximum use, as well as through donation to local non-profit organizations, all while sharing how to engage and motivate staff in food rescue efforts.

“We’re excited to have so many well-known Quad Cities establishments sharing their food rescue strategies at the workshop,” says Christina McDonough, Vice-Chair of the Food Rescue Partnership. “Not only will speakers share their successes, they also have great insight into overcoming obstacles to reduce food waste.” In the U.S., we throw away 40% of our food, according to the National Resources Defense Council, while 21,590 people in Scott County and 17,330 people in Rock Island County are food insecure according to Feeding America.

The workshop will take place at the Freight House in Davenport, IA on October 4, 2018, from 2:00-4:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend, and the workshop hopes to draw professional food establishments and retail food store owners, managers, and chefs. Registration and more information is at foodrescueqc.org/workshop.

FRP to Present at Iowa Governor’s Conference on Public Health

On By Lea HenselIn education, events

GovernorConf_2016We are excited to share that the Food Rescue Partnership has been chosen to present at the Iowa Governor’s Conference on Public Health this year.

“How the Quad Cities Initiative a Grassroots Effort to Increase Food Rescue” will share how the Scott County Health Department engaged community members and organizations to establish the Food Rescue Partnership to increase food rescue from food establishments and retail food stores.

Represented the Food Rescue Partnership will be Christina McDonough from the Scott County Health Department, Lea Hensel from the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, and Pete Vogel, Food Rescue Partnership Board Chair.

For more information, please visit the Iowa Public Health Association website here.

Sneak Peek: Food Rescue Workshop Poster Sessions

On By Lea HenselIn events1 Comment

Attending next week’s Food Rescue Workshop does not just mean learning in the panel sessions (which will be incredibly informative) and receiving the comprehensive FRP developed Resource Guide. The Food Rescue Partnership has also organized a variety of representatives to be on hand to answer all of your questions covering many facets of food waste. Everything from the environmental issues surrounding food waste, to local agencies accepting food, to a book highlighting hunger in Iowa, to a magazine focused on sustainable living.

Food Rescue Partnership
This table will provide an overview of the 124 food system indicators for Scott County, food rescue data collection results and Food Accessibility map for the Quad Cities, and have a health inspector available to answer food safety questions.

River Bend Foodbank
This table will accept completed Food Rescue Donor Interest Forms to match businesses with one of the Foodbank’s 300 partner agencies most convenient to rescue food. The Foodbank can also answer questions about hunger in the Quad Cities, its network of partner agencies, and their collective work toward ending hunger in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities
The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities served over 57,000 meals in 2014 at our Family Service Center and Meal Site and approximately 23,000 of those meals were for children. You will be able to help us provide balanced, nutritious meals to all those we serve. We are looking for proteins, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products for our kitchen because man cannot live on bread alone.

EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy: Animal Feed & Composting
Waste Commission of Scott County and Iowa Waste Exchange
What can you do with excess food that isn’t suitable for feeding people?  This table will explore ways to divert non-edible food waste from landfill disposal following the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy.  Stop by to learn about options including feeding animals, composting, and anaerobic digestion.

University of Northern Iowa – Iowa Waste Reduction Center
The Iowa Waste Reduction Center provides environmental consultation to small businesses throughout the state of Iowa. Projects have extensively focused on food waste reduction and diversion efforts in recent years.

Hunger in the Heartland
This table will provide an opportunity for participants to purchase the book “Hunger in the Heartland: A Resource Guide for Alleviating Hunger in Your Community, No Matter Where You Live” and have it signed by one of the authors, Rachel Vogel Quinn.

Radish Magazine
This table will feature current and back issues of Radish magazine, a free monthly magazine printed in the Quad Cities, dedicated the healthy, sustainable living. Complimentary Radish reusable shopping bags will also be available.

Sneak Peek: How Donation Can Work Panel at the Food Rescue Workshop

On By Lea HenselIn events, food rescueLeave a comment

Do you work at or manage a food establishment or retail food store? Do you want to donate food instead of throwing it away but don’t know where to start? Not sure where to take the food or what is needed? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you will not want to miss the second panel at the October 20 Food Rescue Workshop.

The Food Rescue Partnership has brought together five individuals from both sides of the donation spectrum. Lindsey Adams (Outback Steakhouse) and Melissa Freidhof-Rodgers (Ross’ Restaurant) will be sharing information from the donation side. Both managers of their respective restaurants, Adams and Freidhof-Rodgers will share information about how to get started, developing policies and procedures and address usual assumptions, such as concerns about liability in donating food that could make someone sick. (Hint: There’s no need for concern. We’ll cover that at the workshop.)

On the recipient agency side, the Food Rescue Partnership is welcoming Mary Fahrion (Kings Harvest), Dan Huber (Sacred Heart Cathedral) and Lauri Jones (Café on Vine). They will highlight information about establishing relationships, what food safety rules need to be met, and how the tax donation works.

And remember, this is just a sneak peek into what will be covered through this panel. These panelists will have much more to share, and a Q&A section will take place for any unanswered questions.

This panel, as well as the networking opportunities that will take place throughout the day, are great opportunities to begin a relationship with a recipient agency and get started on donating food.

Sneak Peek: Local & Regional Initiatives Panel at the Food Rescue Workshop

On By Lea HenselIn education, eventsLeave a comment

Sneak Peek: Food Rescue Workshop PanelThere are great things going on all throughout Iowa to reduce food waste by feeding people instead of landfills, which is the focus of the first panel at the next month’s Food Rescue Workshop.

The FRP will be welcoming four experts that will present varying approaches to the issue of food rescue. Bob Andrlik from Table to Table will describe how his program helps to keep food as a resource, not a waste, along with how the Iowa City initiative got started.

From the middle of Iowa, Aubrey Alvarez, executive director of Eat Greater Des Moines, will be joining us. Aubrey has widespread knowledge to share on building easier connections between donors and recipients, including the development of a mobile app that aims to make this connection even easier.

The final two panelists are from our beloved Quad Cities. Mike Miller, executive director of the River Bend Foodbank and treasurer for the Food Rescue Partnership will provide further information on the hunger issue in the QC, as well as the important distinction between a food bank and a food pantry. And last but not least will be Christina McDonough from the Scott County Health Department. Christina will explain how the issue of food rescue was chosen as the focus for the Food Rescue Partnership as well as information on local questionnaire findings.

Working collaboratively and learning from each other allows these initiatives to implement change throughout Iowa so we can ensure food is being treated as the resource it is. We’ll see you October 20!

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