Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 | 2 a.m.
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On Super Bowl Sunday, when all eyes were on Allegiant Stadium, my nonprofit organization, Food Recovery Network, began recovering thousands of pounds of surplus food from a large-scale event called the Players Tailgate.
We safely packaged up boxes of unused crab legs, tuna, fresh produce and dairy, and brought it to the Just One Project, which also works to end hunger. Our goal is to disrupt the common practice of throwing away food that’s no longer wanted, regardless of whether it’s still good, and instead to recover it and provide it to the more than 409,000 people in Nevada who are hungry.
When we recover and donate food, we maintain its value throughout the food system. We value the farmers who grew it, the truck drivers who transported it, the clerks who stocked grocery shelves and the kitchen support who cooked it, and we value our own homes by eating the food we paid for.
We lose roughly 22% of our drinkable water each year to growing, transporting and cooking food that is never eaten. When we consume the food we have, we save water and other resources. Food Recovery Network is on the ground in Las Vegas as a gentle reminder: We all have the power to recover and eat good food, rather than throwing it away.
