Keeping food out of the landfill

It’s 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the North Valley Food Bank.

One of our tireless food rescue squad members, Donnie, starts the NVFB van for the daily rescue mission to our local grocery stores. Our food rescue volunteers are essential to the success of our operations and on most days operate quietly before dawn. 

Their Wednesday route, for example, includes food pick-ups at Safeway, Super 1, Starbucks and Third Street Market. Routes on other days have additional stops, such as Costco, Markus Foods and Montana Coffee Traders. We are grateful for all of these businesses to participate in the food rescue program that keeps thousands of pounds of high-quality food that is close to its expiration date out of the landfill every year.