|
2018: A Most Fruitful
Year
for Food Rescue!
|
|
Dear Supporters and Friends,
Second Servings has had an incredible year! We rescued our second MILLION pounds of food, valued at more than $6 million...
fresh, wholesome food that is now feeding people, instead of going to the landfill. But we can't rest on our laurels.
With 40% of the available food supply going to waste and 1 in 5 Houstonians facing food insecurity, we still have a lot more work to do. Your
year-end gift will help us continue to expand our operations.
In addition to the fresh produce we deliver on a daily basis, we distribute unserved and unsold chef-prepared food from more than 175 hotels, sports venues, convention centers, business and school cafeterias, retailers, caterers, distributors, country clubs, hospitals, and manufacturers. Thanks to our generous food donors, we now reach 62 charity sites serving a
diverse population of over 135,000 needy Houstonians each year. Our food helps nourish veterans, adults in recovery, at-risk youth, homeless disabled seniors, survivors of human trafficking, abused women and children, low-income single adults, developmentally challenged adults, stroke recovery patients, the LGBTQ community, and many others.
Our food and deliveries are always FREE, which saves the charities money and prep time, enabling them to serve more people, provide more services to their clients and residents, and pay for overhead.
Thank you to our generous food and financial donors, our dedicated volunteers, and our part-time drivers and rescue coordinators. Everyone helps keep our operations going and growing, and we just couldn't do it without you!
Happy Holidays!
Barbara Bronstein
Founder, President, & Volunteer
|
A PRACTICAL, EFFICIENT OPERATION
As we expand operations, we are increasing our efficiencies. In 2018, we delivered $38 worth of food for every dollar we spent.
Your gift today can help us deliver more food to more people in 2019:
...To provide 8,400 meals or a month of fuel for our 2 refrigerated vans
...To provide 4,200 meals or a month
of fuel for 1 refrigerated van
...To provide 840 meals or rescue supplies (recyclable containers)
...To provide 420 meals or rescue supplies (food-grade bags)
...To help us rescue more food every day
NEW:
We can now accept gifts of appreciated securities, owned for at least one year, which allows you to claim a charitable
deduction on your income tax for the full fair market value of the securities, and avoid capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the securities. Inquire here.
Here's our Food Rescue Squad at NRG Center after collecting almost 6,000 pounds of surplus food in just 2 hours after a Distributor Food Show last September.
|
|
DECEMBER: Snap Kitchen Gift Cards benefiting Second Servings
Another reason to love our food donor, Snap Kitchen: 5% of
gift card sales in December in Houston area stores will benefit
Second Servings. GREAT stocking stuffers.
JANUARY 28: 5th Annual Truffle Masters Event benefiting Second Servings.
Sample delicacies from 25 of Houston's top chefs as they compete for the "Truffle Master" title. Purchase tickets here. Act by December 20 for a discount.
FEBRUARY 9: Houstonia's "Gumbo Smackdown"
Food Rescue
Volunteer opportunities are available to gather the surplus food at the conclusion of this festive Sugar Land event. Check out the video from the last time we were there.
|
|
COOKING UP NEW INITIATIVES
|
|
COOK THE "RAINBOW"
Our volunteer team of food and nutrition experts provides 1-on-1 coaching to interested charity cooks to encourage healthy cooking techniques and simple, colorful, delicious recipes using the full range of fresh produce we regularly deliver.
Thanks to a change in the Texas Education Code, we have initiated a collaboration with Houston area schools to help them redistribute intact, surplus fruit within their school community.
|
 |
|
Did you know that 44% of all food waste
Reduce food waste AND save money by NOT automatically tossing food when it reaches the date on the package. Except for infant formula, which is federally mandated to carry a date, package dates are set by the manufacturers to indicate peak freshness and shelf rotation, rather
than food safety. You can generally rely on your senses to tell you when to toss food, but you can also get help from the FoodKeeper app. And when food doesn't get wasted, you'll also be saving the precious resources (water, energy, labor, etc.) that went into getting it to your plate!
|
|
|
|
