The Food Rescue Partnership Board encourages Governor Reynolds to continue supporting food access for Iowans by vetoing Senate File 494.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important and effective tool at addressing hunger and food insecurity. In November 2022, SNAP provided $45.6 million benefits to 273,085 Iowans. In Scott County, 11.98% of residents benefited from SNAP assistance spending $1.98 average per meal benefit per individual.

Since 2013, the Food Rescue Partnership has prioritized the need to improve food availability by building a strong, well-connected food rescue network. Because hunger does not affect one type of person or one geographic location. Young or old. Rural or urban. Hunger affects 1 in 7 people throughout the United States and 229,500 Iowans. 

Passing Senate File 494 will negatively impact overall health of Iowans by increasing hunger and food insecurity. The harmful proposals in the bill include:

• Establishing an asset limit for SNAP.
• Requiring public assistance program applicants to complete a computerized identity authentication questionnaire to receive benefits.
• Establishing a new real-time eligibility verification system for public assistance programs.

Additional proposals included in House File 613 will ban soda and candy from SNAP purchases, require able-bodied adults without dependents to participant in the SNAP Employment & Training program, and create work reporting requirements for Iowans in the Medicaid expansion population.

Therefore, the Food Rescue Partnership Board does not support Senate File 494 or House File 613. The Food Rescue Partnership supports efforts to improve food access and SNAP incentives to support Iowans making healthy choices such as Double Up Food Bucks.

You can register your opinion with Governor Reynolds by asking her to veto SF 494.

For the third year in a row, the Food Rescue Partnership has won a Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) Award!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents the awards each year.  “The EPA Food Recovery Challenge Award winners demonstrate how preventing food waste and diverting excess wholesome food away from landfills and to people is important for the environment and communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in the official announcement from the EPA.  “Their accomplishments serve as excellent examples to other companies, governments, organizations and communities, particularly because food is the single largest category of waste.”

“The Food Rescue Partnership educates local food establishments about food recovery. So it was a natural fit to become part of the FRC,” said FRP Board Chair Christina McDonough.  Some of the activities that helped earn this award for the FRP include:

• Continuing to gain new Members in Food Rescue, currently at 20 local establishments
• Partnering with the Iowa Waste Reduction Center to create table tents for tips to reduce food waste at home
• Continuing to coordinate food rescue donations and divert food from the landfill, currently at over 53,700 pounds

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.  “It’s always an honor for the Food Rescue Partnership to be recognized by the U.S. EPA,” said FRP Board Chair Christina McDonough.  “This is the first time our Quad Cities’ coalition earned national recognition”.  The majority of FRP activities and materials have been provided through volunteerism, in-kind donations, or grants from stakeholders and community partners.  FRP stakeholders continually strategize new and unique opportunities to highlight its Members in Food Rescue and spread the food recovery message.

“This recognition is possible by the hard work and commitment of our stakeholders and community partners,” said McDonough.  “Together, we are making the Quad Cities a community dedicated to eliminating food waste.”

Learn more and check out the other national award winners at EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge Awardees Showcase Ways to Tackle Largest Category of Waste in Landfills.

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 2021, we welcomed an input analysis and strategic planning sessions to re-evaluate our mission, vision, core value statements, and goals.  I’m proud that our vision for the Quad Cities to be a community dedicated to eliminating food waste and our mission to promote rescuing food for its best possible use stood the test of time.  FRP Stakeholders did a fantastic job revamping our core value statements.

• Collaboration – Facilitate active partnership to build a strong, well-connected food rescue network.
• Education – Utilize effective communication to promote best practices for food rescue in the community.
• Community – Cultivate a continually growing and diverse network of partners effectively engaged in food rescue.
• Safety – Prioritize safety throughout the entire food rescue process from donor to destination. 

We recognized longtime Board Chair, Pete Vogel for his outstanding service, inspiring leadership, and continuous support to go above and beyond to ensure that food is not wasted, but kept as the amazing resource it is.  Since joining the Food Rescue Partnership in January 2015, Pete educated more than 660 people about food rescue and personally ensured more than 767 pounds of food was rescued!

To date, the Food Rescue Partnership has diverted more than 53,713 pounds of food from the landfill by making connections to feed hungry people, feed animals, and/or compost. 

Ringing in 2022, I look forward to our planning session on February 1^st to reconnect in-person and learn how food waste trends have changed during the COVID pandemic and the value of offering a personalized, healthy, food pantry service.  Our planning session will help us prepare for the fourth Food Rescue Workshop.

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,

In the St. Ambrose Institute for Person-Centered Care’s latest podcast, the topic of food insecurity was the focus – Address Disparities: Food Insecurities and a Pandemic.

FRP Chair, Christina McDonough (Community Transformation Specialist at the Scott County Health Department), joined Mike Miller (President & CEO of the River Bend Foodbank) and Ann McGlynn (Executive Director of Tapestry Farms) to explain what it means to be food insecure, how the COVID-19 Pandemic has brought more awareness to the issue, and what programs in the Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois communities are doing to address this complex problem.

The podcast is available on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast. It is a collaboration between the St. Ambrose University Institute of Person-Centered Care and KALA Radio.

For a second year, the Food Rescue Partnership has won a Food Recovery Challenge (FRC) Regional Award!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents the awards each year. “We applaud the Food Rescue Partnership for their initiative and innovation in reducing food waste throughout the Quad Cities community,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford in the official announcement from the EPA. “Thanks to their combined efforts, this community coalition has helped the Quad Cities reduce hunger, save money, and protect the environment by diverting food waste from landfills.”

 “The Food Rescue Partnership educates local food establishments about food recovery. So it was a natural fit to become part of the FRC,” said FRP Board Chair Christina McDonough. Some of the activities that helped cinch this award for the FRP include:

• Continuing to gain new Members in Food Rescue, currently at 19 local establishments
• Working with Fresh Films and Quad Cities teens to create a video and public service announcement
• Hosting a second food rescue workshop
• Touring an anaerobic digestion operation
• Continuing to coordinate food rescue donations and divert food from the landfill, currently at over 52,000 pounds

“Food Recovery Challenge participants are leaders in showing how preventing food waste and diverting excess wholesome food to people is an environmental win and a cost-saving business decision,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. The majority of FRP activities and materials have been provided through volunteerism, in-kind donations, or grants from stakeholders and community partners. FRP stakeholders continually strategize new and unique opportunities to highlight its Members in Food Rescue and spread the food recovery message.

“This recognition is possible by the hard work and commitment of our stakeholders and community partners,” said McDonough. “Together, we are making the Quad Cities a community dedicated to eliminating food waste.”

Learn more and check out the other award winners at About the 2019 Food Recovery Challenge Regional Award Winners.

Yolanda Jefferson has been professionally cooking since she was 15 years old.   At age twenty, Yolanda fostered an extraordinary passion to reduce food waste from Blckpearl Catering, a full-service catering company, by donating excess food to non-profits in the Quad Cities!

Food Recue Partnership (FRP) Board Vice-Chair, Christina McDonough, first met Yolanda at the Scott County Health Department ServSafe Class in November 2018 and describes Yolanda as a person that immediately captures your attention and desire to do more for others.  “Yolanda spoke from the heart to motivate other professional cooks and food handlers in the class to begin donating food,” said McDonough.

“There are so many people struggling, even if you aren’t homeless, sometimes finances are tight,” Jefferson explained.  “Two incomes often times isn’t enough to make ends meet or someone in the family might be sick with medical bills.  Food is one thing you can always count on bringing people together and making them happy.”  We agree. Yolanda donates a variety of remaining food from Blckpearl Catering events such as ham, potatoes, rice, and vegetables.

Blckpearl Catering opened in 2002, and Yolanda took over and rebranded in 2009.  When Yolanda isn’t spending time owning, operating, and preparing food for Blckpearl Catering, you will find her cooking for Humility of Mary Shelter, Inc. and local churches.  When it comes to food rescue, Yolanda believes in “cooking everything” because she “doesn’t like to see food go to waste.”  In addition to Blckpearl Catering’s weekly food donations and Jefferson’s volunteerism, Yolanda helps organize the Culinary Throwdown each September to raise awareness and donations for Sickle Cell.

Welcome to the Member of Food Rescue program, Blckpearl Catering!  For more information about Blckpearl Catering, like their Facebook page.

Greetings, Food Rescue Partnership Stakeholders,

As 2017 draws to a close and we enter the holiday season, I want to express my deepest appreciation for all the work and support you have provided the Food Rescue Partnership this year. May your holiday season be filled with peace and joy, and may the New Year find you all safe, happy, and healthy.

As a result of the hard work and dedication of our stakeholders, 2017 has been an excellent year for food rescue here in the Quad Cities. Here are just some of the 2017 Food Rescue Partnership highlights:

• Completion of the strategic plan (mission, vision, core values, goals, action steps)
• Stakeholder Saturdays Facebook posts instituted to highlight Stakeholder contributions
• A few of our major speaking opportunities:
  • Midwest Food Recovery Summit in September
  • Iowa Hunger Summit in October
• New members of Food Rescue:
  • Davenport Elks Lodge in May
  • Quad Cities Food Hub in June
• A Stakeholder tour of Cinnamon Ridge Farms in May
• Election of our new Vice-Chair Liz Hogan-Wells in July
• Updating our brochure in September
• Obtaining FRP-branded promotional materials in November/December

Of special note relevant to our food rescue mission in 2017, the Food Rescue Partnership:

• Reached 291 people with our food rescue message through community presentations and health fairs
• Rescued/donated approximately 3,742 pounds of food to hunger-relief agencies in the community

These accomplishments are all direct and tangible results of the work of our committed stakeholders. As we look forward to 2018, our mission to promote rescuing food for its best possible use remains focused on maintaining existing partnerships while forming new ones, and providing ongoing food rescue education and awareness to our community. Particularly exciting new opportunities to continue and expand our reach include:

• Working with Augustana College to update and expand the QC Food Accessibility GIS map
• Forming a new collaboration with St. Ambrose University as a client for their Spring 2018 Strategic Communications Campaigns class

Thank you all again for all you do. The Quad Cities is a better, stronger community for your efforts and support.

Best regards,
Pete Vogel, Food Rescue Partnership Board Chair