Photo courtesy of the Echo Food Rescue Facebook.
The Echo Food Rescue is changing the food distribution process for the winter.
To help manage lineups and prevent long wait times in the cold weather, a random spot in line will be chosen each day to begin letting people in.
The spot could be in the back, middle, or front of the line, and will be chosen by volunteers.
“Originally it was first come, first serve. People started to get the idea that they needed to come and line up early so that they could get a good spot in line so that they could get food,” said Christina Sturgeon, Echo Food Rescue Manager.
The food rescue began as a way to do good in the community and the environment, where food from grocery stores, restaurants, and farms that is still edible but past the best-before date is distributed.
In the first year the food rescue was open, about 60,000 lbs. of food was saved from the landfill, and this year, 250,000 lbs. of food has been saved.
“The amount of food we have has grown so much and there's such an abundance, there is so much for everyone,” Sturgeon said. “The problem has become that there's this scarcity mentality where people feel like to utilize the food rescue they need to come and line up hours and hours early.”
"We're rescuing as much in one month as we did in the whole first year."
The food rescue has grown to now serve approximately 350 people every week.
Sturgeon explained that the distribution change is to show that it’s not necessary to line up.
“Everybody will get in, everybody will get food and if we need to find more food, we'll find more food,” she said. “The amount we're rescuing right now is a drop in the ocean compared to what is out there to rescue.”
With the change, the food rescue has received some negative responses from clients, but Sturgeon expressed that the change is not meant to penalize anyone.
“We don't want to see them out there freezing in –40 C because they need the food," Sturgeon said.
Related stories:
- Echo Food Rescue celebrates grand re-opening
- Echo Food Rescue continuing to fill plates, keeping food out of landfills
The goal of the food rescue is to give away all of the food every day because it’s at the end of its shelf life, and ready to be on someone’s plate.
Sturgeon is not worried about the possibility of running out of food on distribution days, as there is such an abundance of food that it’s now common for there to be some left over.
“Come when we're open. If we need to stay open longer hours, then we'll do that. We're ready to shift however we need to,” she said. “I just want to change that scarcity mentality.”
Food is distributed multiple times a week to anyone within Lacombe and the surrounding area, on Thursday from 11:30 to 12:30, and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., with the occasional pop-up.
Anyone interested in picking up food or in volunteering is encouraged to visit the food rescue website.
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