Position Statement on House File 3

On January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 By christinamcdonoughIn Board, education, hunger1 Comment

The Food Rescue Partnership Board encourages our lawmakers to continue supporting food access for Iowans.

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.

Supporting House File 3 threatens individual food choice, increases stress on already strained food pantries, and negatively impacts overall health of Iowans by increasing hunger and food insecurity. A research project in Davenport has identified foods needed by food pantry recipients and to make use of existing foods from local pantries. Many of the items identified by participants would be excluded by SNAP if these changes are implemented. Increasing choice reduces waste. Specifically, restrictions on choice within SNAP will limit participant access to the foods they and their families need. Limiting SNAP participants’ choices means they will have no access to supplemental items needed, such as ingredients to prepare meals at home. The harmful proposals in the bill include:

Restricting SNAP purchases to only foods on the WIC approved food item list.
Establishing an asset limit for SNAP.
Performing regular eligibility verification checks for SNAP and Medicaid.
Requiring participation in the SNAP Employment & Training program.
Requiring custodial parents to cooperate with the child support recovery unit.

Therefore, the Food Rescue Partnership Board does not support any efforts to restrict food purchases or establish an asset limit for SNAP. 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.

To learn more about how you can protect SNAP, please visit the Iowa Hunger Coalition website.

Sincerely,

2022 Year in Review

On January 12, 2023January 19, 2023 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

Sneak Peek: Food Rescue Workshop Poster Sessions

On October 13, 2015 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 October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 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.