Food Security Champion for 2024
The Californer/10299311

SAN FRANCISCO - Californer -- The San Francisco Farm Bureau is proud to announce our Food Security Champion for 2024.  This award annually will go to a person or organization that goes above and beyond the task of San Francisco food security.

This year's award goes to the SF Market's Food Recovery Program. Established in 2016, the program was created to serve the dual purpose of reducing food waste and increasing food security locally in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco and across the greater Bay Area. The program works by collecting unsellable, yet perfectly edible, produce and other food items from for-profit businesses located at The SF Market and redistributing them to non-profit, community-based organizations, food banks, shelters and community kitchens that aid vulnerable, underserved populations experiencing food insecurity. The SF Market Food Recovery Program not only works to combat San Francisco's pressing food security challenges but also reduces landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with city and state Zero Waste and Climate goals.

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Since the program's inception, over 25 onsite companies and 75 community-based organizations have participated in this unique public-private partnership coordinated by SF Market staff with support from generous funders. Each day, an average of 4,000 pounds of fresh, healthy produce is recovered to benefit families and individuals in need. Through this collaborative partnership, the program has provided over 9 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to communities across five Bay Area counties, translating to approximately 7.5 million meals for food insecure families.

"Bringing to light Programs like this is exactly why I got involved in San Francisco Farm Bureau" stated San Francisco Farm Bureau President Gary Soiseth.

Exciting opportunities are ahead for The SF Market's Food Recovery Program with the development of a dedicated Food Recovery & Waste Reduction Center. This centralized space will create new opportunities to improve food access across the Bay Area by enabling the Market to receive, sort, and store produce from current and prospective donating partners, while also streamlining the donation distribution process for community organizations by consolidating all pickups into one convenient location.

For more information on this great service go to https://www.thesfmarket.org