Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue
Our grassroots movement to rescue excess perishable food to feed the hungry is growing!
Saving Grace Receives FBI Community Leadership Award
Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue was among the 57 national organizations honored by the FBI with the 2018 Director's Community Leadership Award. Founder and CEO Beth Ostdiek Smith received the award from Director Christopher Wray during a ceremony at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on May 3.

"You're out in our neighborhoods. You see what's happening in our communities every day. And you're taking action to make it better," Wray said of the recipients.

The awards were formally created in 1990 to honor the work of community leaders in supporting the FBI's mission. The honorees were selected by their area FBI field offices for having demonstrated outstanding contributions to their local communities through service. Saving Grace was selected by the FBI's Omaha Field Office.

Earlier this year, the Omaha Field Office recognized Saving Grace for its work redirecting food destined for landfills to those who need it. At that time, the agency noted Saving Grace had delivered 2.9 million pounds of nutritious food to local nonprofits that feed the hungry since operations began in 2013. The total amount of food rescued now exceeds 3.2 million pounds.

View the FBI's news release and photos of all of the recipients. 
Fourth Truck Joins Saving Grace's Fleet
A fourth refrigerated truck was added to Saving Grace's fleet last month to meet growing demand for our food rescue and delivery services. Purchase of the truck was funded with a grant from the Harper Family Foundation.  

Betsy Murphy, Harper Family Foundation spokesperson, said they were impressed by the passion of the Saving Grace team. "You are making an impact on so many in our community by providing good nutritious food that would otherwise be wasted. It was such an easy decision for the Harper Family Foundation to unanimously support your mission and the good work you are doing everyday."

Team photo
Professional drivers/food handlers Mike, Stacey, Randy, Corey and Tom with Judy, field and logistics director.
Addition of another truck allowed Saving Grace to set the ambitious goal of rescuing 1,290,000 pounds of food this year. 

Saving Grace began operations in October 2013 with one used refrigerated truck. The fleet has expanded as trucks reached capacity.

Saving Grace currently picks up food from 51 food donor locations and delivers it the same day to 39 nonprofit agency locations.
Making an Impact on Food Waste and Hunger

Impact Report cover page
2018 was a big year for Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue, thanks to the support of those who believe in our mission. We celebrated our fifth birthday in October, and by the end of the year, the lifetime total of food rescued exceeded 2.9 million pounds.

Here are a few highlights of 2018:
  • A new initiative was piloted to use excess bread to make beer through a partnership with Brickway Brewery & Distillery.
  • A full house gathered at Film Streams to view "Wasted! The Story of Food Waste" and listen to a panel of local experts provide their insights on the topic.
  • Our third refrigerated truck went into service in January, enabling us to add 16 new food donors.
  • 905,765 meals were provided to our nonprofit partners to feed the hungry.
  • The amount of food rescued in 2018 represented a 342% increase over the total in 2014, our first full year of operations.
While it's gratifying to reflect on these accomplishments, there is more work to be done, and we've set some ambitious goals for this year:


Download the 2018 Impact Report for photos and a recap of our accomplishments.

Earth Day Recognizes Saving Grace with Nonprofit Award


Saving Grace received the Friend of the Environment Nonprofit Award at Earth Day Omaha on April 13. Board member Erik Bird accepted the award on the organization's behalf.

Additionally, team members promoted the work Saving Grace does to feed the hungry with excess perishable food that would otherwise take up space in the landfills at an Earth Day booth.

Attendees were encouraged to become "Food Rescue Super Heroes" by pledging to reduce food waste in their own lives. A banner provided photo opportunities.

These youngsters had fun with the props.

Join a Movement During Omaha Gives!

Omaha Gives logo
Don't just give a donation during Omaha Gives! - join a movement. Give $10 or more to Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue and you'll be part of our grassroots effort to change how Omaha thinks about food waste. 

Omaha Gives! also is a perfect opportunity to introduce others in the community to our work. Schedule a donation now or give on May 22, then invite your friends and colleagues to support our efforts. And, share our virtual Omaha Gives! event on Facebook. Help us meet our goal of 75 new donors and $15,000 during Omaha Gives!

Since operations began in late 2013, Saving Grace has rescued more than 3.2 million pounds of excess food that's feeding the hungry in our community rather than taking up space in the landfills.

Giving Bag Program Supports Saving Grace

Saving Grace has been selected to be a part of the Fresh Thyme Giving Bag Program, which is designed to make it easy for customers to contribute to their local community while supporting the environment.

For the month of May, each time a reusable $2.99 Giving Bag is purchased at the Fresh Thyme located at 14949 Evans Plaza, $1 will be donated to Saving Grace, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the Giving Tag. This is a great way to raise awareness, support the environment and fundraise for our cause.
"Food insecurity is a huge issue in Douglas County. I'm impressed with what Saving Grace has accomplished in a short time to rescue perfectly good food for those in need instead of having it thrown away. Thousands of people have been provided with nutritious food because of the efforts of Saving Grace. I have made Saving Grace a priority for me to spend my limited volunteer time."

Vic Gutman, VGA Group
Saving Grace Advisory Council Member
Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue | www.savinggracefoodrescue.org
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