Food waste prevention and rescue

Food insecurity and access to basic needs

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20 directs the California Natural Resources Agency to protect biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CNRA oversees the California Conservation Corps, which offers grants to local conservation corps, like LA Conservation Corps for environmental conservation and service-learning projects. LA Conservation Corps also partners with LA Compost, MEND Food Bank, and CalRecycle to collect food waste in order to comply with SB 1383, which directs public agencies to divert organic waste from landfills, and produce compost, in order to advance the aims of EO N-82-20.

The goal of LA Conservation Corps’ food waste prevention program is to divert food waste from landfills and rescue as much food as possible to feed those in need. Corpsmembers collect donations from restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and fresh markets. Edible foodstuffs are sorted by MEND Food Bank in Pacoima and distributed to the food insecure in the eastern San Fernando Valley. Inedible organic waste is composted at locations operated by LA Compost. Corpsmembers gain marketable skills and learn about composting operations and soil regeneration. The outputs include 6,000 tons of food waste diverted from landfills per year, and rescued food contributes to MEND’s Community Nourishment Programs, which serves two million meals to 125,000 people each year.

LA County will see increased climate resilience from reduced greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the amount of organic matter that goes to landfill. The outcome of MEND’s Community Nourishment Programs is reduction of food insecurity for families struggling to make ends meet, as well as many who are unhoused that rely on foraging from dumpsters to survive. Disadvantaged communities will see a reduction of poverty from the number of opportunity youth who are able to achieve self-sufficiency by training for and getting Green Jobs.

This is an ongoing program that was launched with the help of CalRecycle, but now we are seeking the support of local agencies and private philanthropy to continue operations. Success is primarily measured by the number of pounds (tons) of food waste collected, which is the same as the amount of organic waste diverted from landfill. Secondarily, we measure the number of pounds of edible food waste rescued and the number of pounds of organic waste composted.