Our Sharing Shelves
In building our community relationships we have been put in touch with a number of organisations whose communities benefit from free food. While Tummies Not Trash’s primary objective is to save food from going to landfill,
In a world where hunger and food waste coexist, finding innovative solutions to bridge the gap between surplus food and those in need is paramount.
One of the most popular solutions, that is gaining popularity, is to establish a community surplus food sharing shelf. These are one of the easiest ways to address food insecurity without the need for referrals or need based assessment, while simultaneously combating food waste.
So how can setting up a sharing shelf in our organisation help?
Food is one of the easiest ways to bring a community together, whether it’s providing meals to enjoy together or just making food available so that the community as a whole benefits from improved attitudes towards preservation and food waste prevention.
Raising Awareness and Educating
When we set up a new surplus food sharing shelf (or area), one of the most common comments we hear is that people are shocked and have no idea how much food is actually being thrown away. And once you see how much food is saved, it can be quite startling to discover that it’s still perfectly good to eat and would have likely only been thrown away due to a date printed on the label.
Unfortunately, this is only a small part of the problem! The majority of food wasted is actually done in the home, from buying too much, cooking too much and letting food wilt or go bad in the fridge before you’ve even had a chance to enjoy it.
By making this surplus food visible, this will encourage more people to address their own attitudes towards waste, prompt conversations and encourage education about responsible consumption. It also gives us the chance as individuals to come up with innovative solutions and support vulnerable members of our communities.
It is, unfortunately, just as important to be vigilant of those who may abuse the generosity of their communities. It may be that individuals see the volumes of food and get a little too excited and take more than they can use. And ultimatel, we don’t want volunteers to save food from landfill only for it to be hoarded by individuals who then go on to waste it.
Promoting Sustainable Communities
Climate change is high on everyone’s priority list but it can be difficult to prioritise massive issues like the environment when there are pressing matters closer to home. The great news is that by saving food from going to waste, it’s possible to align sustainability goals with helping your own families needs.
And it’s not just edible food that will be saved from landfill, more often than not, the food that is rotting away is usually wrapped in plastic packaging, which means it won’t break down as many people think it will. So as well as reducing emissions, saving water and reducing energy consumption by diverting edible food from landfill, you are also saving masses of plastic packaging from being dumped as well.
Reducing Food Waste
As well as partners that use the food to cook and distribute directly, We take a large amount of the food we rescue from retailers to supplement our partners sharing shelves. By setting up a surplus food sharing shelf, these communities can contribute to reducing food waste at a grassroots level. Instead of throwing away excess food, individuals can also donate it to the sharing shelf, allowing it to be redistributed to those who need it. This simple act helps prevent edible food from ending up in landfills, reducing our individual waste and helping our communities.
Encouraging Collaboration and Connection
Within our communities we don’t always know other peoples personal circumstances, some may use the sharing shelf out of need, some out of want and some out of a drive to reduce food waste. Sharing shelves provide a non judgmental option that is about building community and collaboration, strengthening social relationships and fostering a culture of giving. Working together to create a resilient and caring society, with a sense of community and promoting the common goals of reducing food waste and food insecurity.
Tackling food insecurity
One of the most compelling benefits of a surplus food sharing shelf is its ability to address food insecurity within a community. Many individuals and families struggle to afford nutritious meals regularly. By providing a platform for surplus food redistribution, these shelves empower those facing food insecurity to access fresh, wholesome food. It fosters a sense of community support, and inclusivity, ensuring that no one goes to bed hungry.
We have already helped to set up and support the community sharing shelves at a number of venues and will be setting up our own holiday shelves to accommodate the closure of some venues over the holidays. We would love to hear from you if you already have a shelf that would benefit from surplus food donations or if you have an idea for a new one.