San Francisco organization reduces food waste while feeding those in need
SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco organization has worked to reduce waste and feed those in need for the past 35 years with help from a mobile team of volunteers.
Back in 1987, Mary Risley faced a dilemma at her North Beach cooking school and decided to find a solution.
"We would have left over food at the end of the day. And what was I going to do it with it? Drive it to Glide [Memorial], give it to the people who work for me, or throw it away," said Risley.
In the United States, 40 percent of the food produced in the country gets discarded, adding up to 108 billion pounds of edible food each year.
Risley founded Food Runners to not only solve the problem of food waste, but to also feed the hungry, which was an issue even three decades ago in San Francisco.
"I am old hippy from the old days," smiled Risley. "You just provide a free service to people, and maybe they will give you food."
The concept of her non-profit is simple: volunteer "Food Runners" pick up excess perishable and prepared food from businesses such as restaurants, caterers, bakeries, hospitals, event planners, corporate cafeterias, and hotels and deliver it directly to neighborhood food programs.
Dave Gallaher loved the idea and decided to use his time not only exercise his body, but exercise the art of giving back.
Two to three times a week, the retired Gallaher takes his e-bike with trailer in tow and makes food pickups and deliveries for Food Runners.
On the day KPIX followed him, he made a stop at the Haight Street market Gus's to pick up two bags of pre-package salads and sandwiches, which he dropped off at St. Agnes Church.
"It wasn't a huge delivery, but it was still enough good healthy food to feed 20 to 30 people for the day," said Gallaher.
But on some days, he can barely fit the delivery in his modified trailer. One photo he shared showed the food was stacked five-feet high of fruits, vegetable and other perishable goods. Currently, pick-ups of fresh groceries get delivered directly to the Food Runner's pantry kitchen on Waller Street in the Lower Haight neighborhood.
During our visit, a team of volunteers in the pantry were cutting vegetables for a pasta salad, while the small paid staff members in the kitchen were mixing cut up loaves of bread and fresh fruit to make a bread pudding.
"We are taking 20% of the food that is donated and cooking it," said Risley. "We make individual meals to serve 12,000 people a week."
Those pre-made meals get delivered to the dozens of shelters across San Francisco, including the North Beach Citizens who use Food Runners meals to supplement their own food pantry donations.
"It is always a surprise what they bring us," said Quinton Mecke of North Beach Citizens. "But in the end it is nice to have a healthy meal to give out,"
A simple meal to help stave off hunger for a day, or even a few hours.
"Everybody gets used to their own life, and you get a chance to see how other people live and it is not always pleasant but you help them the best way you can," said Risley.
Food Runners delivers more than 15 tons of food every week, with the help of 1,300 volunteers. Risley credits the numerous restaurants she has worked with over the years including Nopa and markets like Gus's, Mollie Stone's, and Whole Foods.
Parties interested in volunteering their time, donating food or supporting the organization financially can learn more at the Food Runners website.
