While food banks must be celebrated, often the quality of the produce is limited as it needs a long shelf-life in a can or tin while it is passed between people.
However, one city is leading the way in how and what they feed the hungry.
Not only are they helping those in need access food, they are also ensuring the meals are fresh with exceptional nutrition that will nurture their health and wellbeing.
To do this, the people of Phoenix, Arizona, are calling on local farms and restaurants to equip the vulnerable with the food they desperately need.
This kaleidoscope of activity means that those in the hospitality industry who have been hit hard by the global pandemic are now getting work again as everyone pulls their skills together.
It all kicked off last April after the city donated money from their coronavirus relief federal funding to non-profit group, Local First Arizona.
The good folk over at Local First Arizona then created the Feed Phoenix programme, which has allowed them to provide over 50,000 meals to local residents. And counting!
Their business model works by purchasing produce from struggling farmers, before they then pay the restaurants to prepare and deliver free meals to citizens in need.
Speaking about the initiative, founder Kimber Lanning explained how the credit should go to the city for making the smart decision with their funding.
Kimber said: “The city could have awarded one very large contract to one very large company to just prepare all of those meals.
“Instead, we decided to create a programme to touch as many businesses as possible.”
Meanwhile, Phoenix’s environmental programmes coordinator Roseanne Albright added: “What is going to be left behind is a stronger community food network.”
Chatting to Bloomberg, she concluded: “Restaurants realise the value and excellent product that can be delivered by our farmers, and they want to continue those connections.”
Come on BoJo, we need something like this in the UK too!
