Springfield Community Gardens has received a grant to divert food waste and relieve food insecurity, according to a press release.
The $38,317 grant from Solid Waste Management District O through the Ozarks Headwaters Recycling District will support the creation of a pilot program that delivers excess food from the Cox North Hospital cafeteria to food insecure households through SCG’s weekly produce distributions.
In addition to reducing food waste and combating food insecurity in the community, the program also educates the next generation. According to the release, youth with the University of Missouri’s Greene County 4-H program will help portion the food, learn food safety best practices and attend and distribute meals as part of club activities.
“This pilot builds upon the progress of past projects funded through OHRD. There is tremendous long-term potential to ensure that perfectly nutritious food will reach people in our community instead of going to a landfill,” said Maile Auterson, founding executive director of Springfield Community Gardens. “It is especially important that we include young people in efforts to find solutions to the environmental and social challenges ahead of them.”