A few years ago I watched the documentary Dive   and didn't know what to do. The amount of waste happening in America was sickening to me - mostly because I recognized I was contributing to that waste. I determined to try and reduce the waste coming from my home. But my waste isn't the biggest problem. It's the waste that grocery stores and restaurants (and other institutions that make and serve food, like Universities) have at the end of each day. The docu Dive highlighted the waste of grocery stores but not restaurants. Restaurants - specifically fast food ones - tally up a crazy amount of waste each day. Items like hamburgers can only sit for so long before they are labeled unfit for consumption. Then they are discarded of and it's illegal for people to go into the dumpsters to retrieve them. It's so frustrating. It's another sign of the broken systems we have in America. ANYWAY. Food Rescue programs are starting to pop up. Many retailers are scare...

Let's talk soup kitchens for #FeedTheHungryFriday. Soup kitchens popped up in America around 1929 when the Depression was a growing problem. They were run by charities and local churches and served soup and bread. Soup was easy and affordable to serve because water could be added to it in order to serve more people. As the Depression eased soup kitchens stayed around to help serve homeless and struggling families. ( source ) Today soup kitchens are still run by churches and charities but generally serve more than soup and bread. The menus have expanded. Because the soup kitchens are run by non-government entities they are always looking for volunteers. (hint, hint) Several years ago my family and I served at a Salvation Army shelter with a group of people we knew. Our group had complete responsibility for making the dinner meal and serving it to the residents of the shelter. It was a great experience. We did it for about 9 years. It exposed all of us to different people an...

There is a great way to help feed the hungry in your local community. Most likely you have heard of it. Food pantries. They are a rather new entry to the fight against hunger. The world's first food pantry wasn't even established until 1967 in Arizona. Since then they have spread across America and Canada and then hopped over the pond to spread in Europe. John van Hengel was serving in a soup kitchen when he got the idea to gather and distribute non-perishable food items for those who were hungry. Here's some facts about food pantries/banks that are really interesting.   So for #FeedTheHungryFriday I'm suggesting you find a local food bank and ask what their needs are and help stock their shelves. Many food pantries can be found by clicking here .  Or maybe you feel a greater pull to get involved in the hunger issue and have thought about starting your own food bank. Here's some advice on how to start one and keep it going.  

Today I would like to highlight some organizations that help to feed the hungry all over the world. There are many organizations out there dedicated to helping end hunger both on a local, national, and global level. (I always recommend you use Charity Navigator to check into the financial stability of any organization you think you want to partner with.) A few years ago my family and I got an opportunity to help feed hungry children and their families around the world. It was a super fun and impactful experience. We partnered with Feed My Starving Children  and attended a mobile pack event. What's that? It's an event where communities are invited to help feed the hungry by assembling specialized food packs that are designed to provide complete nutrition. Sterilized stations are set up that have the ingredients and measuring tools needed. On "go" teams work as fast, but as accurately, as possible to assemble a suggested number of meals in one hours time. Y...