SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – It is estimated that around 130 billion pounds of food are wasted each year.
Cultivate Food Rescue’s mission is to rescue food by collecting excess food that would otherwise go to waste and then preparing meals for child nutrition programs or donating them to food distribution centers.
They are one of the first food rescue organizations in Michiana.
On Thursday evening, the organization hosted its third annual Taste of Hope event at the Century Center in South Bend.
In the first year, Cultivate was able to save 22,000 kilograms of food. Last year, the figure was 1.1 million kilograms.
The aim of the event was to raise awareness and money to continue to help ensure that no neighbor goes hungry and no food is wasted.
“At the beginning of each school year we host a Taste of Hope event and the money raised tonight will help us provide food to 1,500 food-insecure students in St. Joe, Elkhart and Marshall counties each weekend this year,” said Todd Zeltwanger, director of fundraising at Cultivate Food Rescue.
The goal is to raise $250,000. The event was sold out with over 700 attendees, including sponsors, donors and volunteers.
“There are just so many people that we couldn’t do it with just a handful. We need everyone, which is why the community has been so wonderful in supporting us, and we’re so excited to be able to fulfill our mission. Our mission statement is ‘No neighbor goes hungry, no food goes to waste,’ and everyone here will help us do that,” Zeltwanger said.
Latonya Crawford of Shug’s Tea & Lemonade shared her thoughts on the event.
“It’s a great feeling for me to meet a lot of new people that I would never have met otherwise and to give back. Knowing that these people are giving, I don’t mind giving, so I don’t mind giving back,” Crawford said.
Cultivate Food Rescue is always looking for volunteers and donations are welcome. For more information, visit the organization’s website.
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