Feeding San Diego Announces Free New Technology Platform to Reduce Food Waste
FEEDING SAN DIEGO ANNOUNCES FREE NEW TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE
MealConnectTM engages restaurants, food service providers and volunteers in a simple solution to help end hunger in San Diego County
SAN DIEGO — On Tuesday, November 5, Vince Hall, CEO of Feeding San Diego, will announce the launch of MealConnectTM in San Diego County, a free and innovative technology platform that connects surplus food from restaurants and other food service providers to Feeding San Diego’s volunteer drivers and agency partners. Developed by Feeding America, MealConnect is an exciting new way for the community to divert good food from going to waste and increase the availability of nutritious food for the one in eight people facing hunger in San Diego County. Unlike other food rescue apps, MealConnect is free of charge for food donors.
“The message for San Diego restaurants and other food providers is clear,” said Vince Hall. “Feeding San Diego is your partner in hunger relief. We are minimizing waste and working to ensure that every person has enough nutritious food to eat.”
Feeding San Diego provides more than 26 million meals to people in need each year and 97 percent of the food distributed is rescued. Now with MealConnect, Feeding San Diego is well poised to continue ending hunger and increasing food rescue by engaging local restaurants and businesses in a simple, scalable solution.
WHAT: Public launch of food rescue platform MealConnectTM in San Diego County
WHEN: Tuesday, November 5, 2019 | 11:00 am
WHERE: Fashion Valley Shopping Center Food Court, Second Level 7007 Friars Rd, San Diego, CA 92108 Parking available
WHO: Vince Hall, CEO, Feeding San Diego Arianne Cousin, Director of Marketing, Fashion Valley Chef Angelo Sosa, Bravo Top Chef, Partner and Executive Chef, Death by Tequila Nancy Kane, Volunteer MealConnect Driver, Feeding San Diego Molly Hall, Kitchen Manager, Alpha Project
Interview opportunities available with all speakers
WHY: One in eight people in San Diego County face hunger, while 40% of all food produced is wasted. MealConnect will allow Feeding San Diego to engage the community in small scale rescue and delivery of high-quality food to those in need. Food waste is responsible for eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By diverting nearly 26 million pounds of food from the landfill last year, Feeding San Diego reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 23,020 metric tons of CO2 equivalent, which is comparable to taking 5,000 cars off the road for one year.
HOW: MealConnect enables food donors of all sizes, such as hotels, meeting and event planners, restaurants, farmers market vendors, and convenience stores to post surplus food to the system. Examples of this could be extra food from a caterer, a small load of meat from a butcher, or a box of tomatoes from a farmers market. An algorithm matches donations to the best suited trained volunteer driver and agency partner to quickly pick up and distribute the donation. Feeding San Diego received a $51,500 grant from the Walmart Foundation to support the launch of MealConnect in San Diego County. In partnership with Feeding America, MealConnect is available in seven other markets across the United States, including: Lexington, Kentucky; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; St. Paul, Minnesota; Davenport, Iowa; San Antonio, Texas; and Austin, Texas. MealConnect is available to food donors from any smartphone, tablet, or computer to make an immediate impact in the communities where they operate. MealConnect is free for all users and all donations are tax-deductible. Feeding San Diego maintains stringent food-safety standards to ensure food is handled safely by volunteers and partners.
ABOUT FEEDING SAN DIEGO
Feeding San Diego is a non-profit organization on a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego is the leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization in San Diego County and the only Feeding America affiliate in the region. Feeding San Diego provides more than 26 million meals every year to children, families, seniors, college students, military families and veterans and people facing homelessness in partnership with a network of 300 local charities, schools, faith communities, meal sites and food pantries. Through an efficient model focused on reducing our impact on the environment, every dollar donated helps provide four nutritious meals to people in need. To learn more about Feeding San Diego and its hunger-relief initiatives, visit feedingsandiego.org.
ABOUT FASHION VALLEY
Embrace the coastal chic lifestyle at Southern California’s trendiest destination, Fashion Valley. Accented by living succulent walls, gorgeous palm trees and iconic fountains, Fashion Valley is a must visit. Visit more than 200 stores including international fashion houses like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Rolex, Saint Laurent and Salvatore Ferragamo, leading department stores like Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, all while drinking in the San Diego sun in this open-air environment. Try something new at the acclaimed North Italia, Blanco Tacos + Tequila, True Food Kitchen, Stacked, Bibigo Kitchen and So Sushi or enjoy favorites at The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and California Pizza Kitchen. To learn more about Fashion Valley, visit simon.com/mall/fashion-valley
