What we're getting wrong in the fight to end hunger | Jasmine Crowe

Volunteer Experience and Reflections on Food Insecurity

Initial Volunteer Experience

• In June 2017, the speaker volunteered at a local food pantry in Atlanta, Georgia during their weekly food giveaway.

• Upon arrival, the speaker noticed about 40 people waiting in line, excited to give back to the community.

• The speaker's role involved ensuring that Weight Watchers Ding Dongs were included in each family's bag of food items.

Disappointment with Food Quality

• The contents of the bags included unhealthy items like diet Snapples, barbecue sauce, and snacks rather than nutritious meals.

• The speaker felt conflicted about the impact of their work when realizing that no real meals were being provided to families.

Personal Commitment to Addressing Hunger

• The speaker has a long history of involvement in various charitable activities related to food insecurity, including creating a pop-up restaurant called Sunday Soul for homeless individuals.

• They emphasized that food banks are often seen as essential community institutions but questioned their effectiveness.

The Cycle of Food Insecurity

Ineffectiveness of Current Approaches

• The speaker criticized repetitive charity efforts that fail to address hunger effectively and create dependency on food banks.

• Despite increased awareness and celebrity engagement around hunger issues, millions still go hungry in the U.S. and globally.

Statistics Highlighting Hunger Issues

• Globally, 821 million people are hungry; nearly 40 million Americans experience hunger annually, including over 11 million children.

• There is significant food waste in the U.S., exceeding 80 billion pounds per year while many remain hungry.

Innovative Solutions Using Technology

Realization About Hunger Logistics

• The speaker recognized that hunger is not merely an issue of scarcity but one of logistics and distribution inefficiencies.

Development of a Food Donation App

• In response to these challenges, they created an app designed to facilitate excess food donations from businesses directly to those in need.

Functionality and Impact of the App

• Businesses can easily inventory surplus items for donation through the app; it calculates weight and tax value for donors.

Achievements by 2018

Addressing Hunger and Food Waste: Innovative Solutions

Collaboration with Corporations and Impact

• The speaker highlights partnerships with major brands like Hormel, Chick-fil-A, and Papa John's, as well as the NFL for Super Bowl LIII.

• Over two years, they have collaborated with over 200 businesses to divert more than two million pounds of edible food from landfills, resulting in approximately 1.7 million meals provided to those in need.

Pop-Up Grocery Stores Initiative

• The organization launched pop-up grocery stores that recover excess food from businesses and set up free community grocery stores in food deserts.

• These stores offer on-site taste-testing by chefs, recipe cards, reusable grocery bags, and allow families to shop without price tags—focusing on providing access to meals rather than just food.

Changing the Narrative Around Hunger

• The goal is to shift perceptions about solving hunger from a nonprofit approach to a social enterprise model aimed at reducing waste while addressing hunger.

• Examples from France and Italy illustrate legislative actions against food waste; France mandates supermarkets donate unused food or face fines.

Global Innovations in Food Recovery

• Denmark's Wefood store sells recovered excess food at discounted prices while donating proceeds to aid programs.

• Toronto's Feed it Forward operates a pay-what-you-can grocery store model that allows families to purchase groceries based on their financial ability.

Rethinking Solutions for Hunger

• Despite advancements in technology and significant donations aimed at ending food insecurity, hunger remains unsolved due to outdated approaches.

• The speaker reflects on investor attitudes towards hunger solutions, emphasizing the need for innovative thinking beyond traditional methods.

Empowering Local Solutions

• Social entrepreneurs tackling big issues like hunger often lack support compared to larger organizations but can provide valuable insights if given opportunities.

• Engaging with city councils and health organizations emphasizes the connection between access to nutritious meals and overall health outcomes.

Policy Changes Needed for Effective Solutions

• To prevent good food from going to waste while neighbors go hungry, there is a call for new policies and mindset shifts regarding how we address hunger.