Feeding Hungry People
We’re clearly very interested in composting food waste here at Collective Resource Compost, but we’re also interested in all of the other levels in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy illustrated in this pyramid. If you’re interested in learning more about the different levels of the pyramid, check out the documentary Wasted! The Story of Food Waste. The pyramid plays a starring role, second only to the somewhat foul-mouthed narrator Anthony Bourdain, of blessed memory.
Feeding Hungry People
Did you know that we offer a tote discount to the organizations that feed people, like food pantries and organizations like Meals on Wheels?
One of the great parts of writing this blog is that I learn so much in the research.
Just now I was exploring the website of our composting customer Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois that is located in Evanston. Hunger, isolation and loneliness are a health hazard to older adults. You can imagine that during this COVID-19 crisis that we are amidst, isolation and loneliness are even more pronounced. Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois is a powerhouse movement of neighbors delivering meals to seniors, individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities, veterans, and anyone else who is unable to prepare their own food. They provide short-term services to help during a medical situation like recovering after surgery, or long-term services to support a healthy life.
I’d heard of Meals on Wheels, and though I did not know much about them, I did know that the meals were delivered by volunteers. If you own a car and are able-bodied, this might be the volunteer opportunity for you. If you don’t have time, but do have money, they have several opportunities for you to donate as well.
My dear mother, also of blessed memory, always donated money to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. More than 700 partner agencies and programs form the backbone of their food distribution network. Food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, mobile distributions, and other partnerships serve food and dignity to our neighbors in need across Cook County. They, too, would appreciate your support.
Gift giving
I debated whether or not I should talk about gift giving in this month’s post, but next month feels like it might be too late for the winter holidays. You could give a gift in someone’s honor to an organization that helps alleviate hunger, but there are always going to be people on your gift list that wouldn’t mind if you alleviated their own personal hunger. I was recently made aware of a woman-owned company called Packed with Purpose. A lot of their gifts include food items so that works thematically, right? Right? Packed with Purpose is a woman-owned business that curates super cute gift packages. The packages are filled with products made by what they call purposeful purveyors--organizations that produce high-quality products that create a positive societal impact by transforming lives, uplifting communities and preserving the environment.
Another woman-owned business offering a selection of corporate gifts that has been our composting customer for 7 years is Katherine Anne Confections.
We have two composting customers who can help put dinner on the table and can also send e-gift cards on your behalf. One is Meez Meals located in Evanston. All of the ingredients arrive at your door chopped, prepped, portioned, and ready to cook and they’re ready to eat in only 30 minutes. The other is Eat Purely located in Chicago. These meals arrive ready to heat-and-eat for the truly time-crunched or exhausted.
Just One More
Most months when I’m writing this blog, I run out of time before I run out of ideas. I’m really glad that I did not finish writing yesterday because I got my Baba Bag in the mail today! The Baba Bag is a compact reusable shopping bag. The company donates part of its proceeds to select nonprofit partners. The green and white one that I bought donates $2 towards Action Against Hunger, a humanitarian organization that for more than 40 years, has led the global movement that aims to end life-threatening hunger for good within our lifetimes. My mom would be proud.
