What Feeding People, Not Landfills Looks Like with Jimbo’s and the North County LGBTQ Resource Center

We often use the phrases “food rescue” and “feed people, not landfills” – but what does that look like? Feeding San Diego currently rescues over one million pounds of food every month from grocery stores alone. As part of our food rescue efforts, we work with over 600 local and national food donors to divert edible surplus food from the landfill and get it to people in need.

You can now see this work in action in our latest video.  

Partners in Food Rescue

Recently, we visited one of our food donors, local natural foods grocer Jimbo’s, and the partner that rescues from them, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. We wanted to see how the food makes its way from store shelves to community food distribution.

“It’s perfectly good, healthy, amazing food. We’re very fortunate to be able to distribute fresh rescued apples, orange, and tons of produce.”

This process is not about making room in our warehouse or distribution center. Instead, it’s about making connections between the right organizations throughout San Diego County to ensure the food gets into the hands of people who need it. We also want to minimize the amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B.

That’s where community partners like the North County LGBTQ Resource Center come in. By picking up food directly at the source, our food rescue system maximizes the freshness of the items and maintains food integrity and safety.

North County LGBTQ Resource Center picks up directly from grocery stores near them multiple times a week for its Foodies & Goodies program, which distributes food to those they serve every Friday. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, LGBTQ adults living in the U.S. are nearly twice as likely to be experiencing food insecurity during the pandemic than non-LGBTQ adults. 

Zero Waste and a Thriving Community

Food rescue makes a difference not just because it helps our neighbors facing food insecurity. It also helps keep food out of landfills, where it would contribute to climate change. The environmental impact is an equally important piece of the impact, one that many people are unaware of.

Jeri Nicolas

“There’s a lot that I’ve learned through Feeding San Diego. I didn’t realize the impact on the environment by all that waste,” shared Jeri Nicolas, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center’s front desk coordinator. “It’s perfectly good, healthy, amazing food. We’re very fortunate to be able to distribute fresh rescued apples, orange, and tons of produce.” 

To learn more about why ending hunger through food rescue, visit our Why It Matters page.