Together We Can Feed More and Waste Less
 

Happy spring! Farmers are planting, flowers are blooming, and in this issue you can see a time-lapse of how the CFR network has grown! Farmers can plan ahead to get tax credit for their food donations. Learn how co-ops give generously, and see how the newly-released ChowMatch 3.7 matching tool makes food runs even easier. Read on for more. 
   Watch the CFR Network Grow!

New time-lapse shows the CFR network's growth in members and food runs

 
Visualizing CFR network growth since our launch
Sometimes it's hard to wrap our heads around numbers and impact. Since Community Food Rescue's (CFR) launch in September 2015, our network of food recovery throughout Montgomery County has grown to include 129 food donor businesses, 48 food assistance organizations and 101 volunteer food runners.
 
But can you visualize what 6,503 food runs looks like or the impact of rescuing and redistributing 2.8 million lbs. of food? Now you can thanks to Johns Hopkins Center for Livable Futures mapping.
Food Co-ops Run Lean and Give Generously
Takoma Park Co-op donates unsold surplus food three times a week.
"It's in our DNA to give back to community; it's what we do." explains Sheila Ongie, sustainability manager for the National Co-op Grocers, based in Iowa.
 
I recently spoke to Sheila about their Co+efficient program as part of their sustainability commitment and how two Montgomery County co-ops participate in food recovery.

"Co-ops run lean and can be short on staffing. Yet they are still donating their surplus food to charities," explained Sheila. "If co-ops can donate their surplus food, we hope that others will follow their lead."
 Farmers, It Pays Not to Waste Food!
Farmers can take a tax credit for donating food 
The Farm Food Donation Pilot Program (SB 416), signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan last fall, allows eligible farmers to take a tax credit of up to $5,000 per year for donating fresh produce to charitable organizations.
    
However, the clock is ticking and farmers only have two more years of this pilot tax  credit program.  So far, no one has applied for this credit.  If farmers don't claim their tax credits--even if they donate surplus produce--the tax credit could end. And that would be a waste for everyone!




Read more
  What's New with ChowMatch?
ChowMatch has updated food categories to better describe food assistance organizations' needs for better donation matching.

We're excited to announce CFR's new version of ChowMatch, our food donation matching software. ChowMatch 3.7 provides an improved user experience and offers new features responsive to our users' needs.
"All CFR members need to login and update their profiles in ChowMatch as soon as possible to reflect these changes," explains Cheryl Kollin, CFR Program Director.
 Read more
   Upcoming Events--sign up today!
Food Safety training class
Join us for CFR's free food safety class April 18th
Join us for these spring events. Click on links for details and to sign-up. Hope to see you there.
 
   Website        About        ChowMatch app.         Blog          Food Safety 
Copyright © 2018. All Rights Reserved.