The Feed Forward Initiative
Reducing Food Waste in Howard County
Saving
Reducing food waste in the community
Collecting
Getting unsold food from restaurants and produce markets
Feeding
Providing food to the people without it
The Problem
Sometimes, we forget how lucky we are to have food. We waste it because it isn’t ‘perfect’ or because we don’t want it, while less fortunate people worry about their next meal every day. Howard County, one of the richest counties in the country, struggles with this problem. While residents with the luxury of food security waste around 30% of the food they buy, nearly 17% of people in the county struggle with food insecurity. Feed Forward provides a solution to mitigate these problems: going to places with high rates of unnecessary food waste, and giving this food back to the community.
Fresh Produce
People in need don’t often have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, in part because of the difficult logistics of transporting donated produce in a timely manner. Feed Forward coordinates with grocery stores and supermarkets to pick out unsold produce and deliver it to hungry families within 30 minutes of the food being taken from a store.
We Deliver
Baked Goods
Often, bakeries throw out all their food after closing down for the day. We partner with bakeries and restaurants to pick up these leftover goods and deliver them to shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens to provide for those in need.