Food insecurity is one of the leading public health challenges in the United States, while wasted food is piling up in landfills and contributing to climate change. So what can we do to reduce food waste, while helping people in need?
A local organization called Flower City Pickers is taking on these challenges. Volunteers collect food donations from the Public Market and distribute that food to area homeless shelters, halfway houses, soup kitchens, and food pantries. Organizers say they prevent an average of 3,000-4,000 pounds of food from going to landfills each week. We'll get an inside look at Flower City Pickers and learn about its plans for the future. Our guests:
- Khoury Humphrey, founder of Flower City Pickers
- Tricia Banks, volunteer coordinator at Flower City Pickers
- Fig Ruiz, Catholic worker at St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality and liaison between St. Joseph’s and Rochester Food Not Bombs
- Evan Zachary, volunteer with Flower City Pickers and student involved with RIT’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability
