Lifestyle

Keep US Fed Montgomery County Announces Another Monumental Year

By Keep Us Fed Montgomery County | January 5, 2023

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX – Keep US Fed Montgomery County (KUSF) finishes off 2022 having rescued and redistributed 1,511,893 pounds of surplus food, the equivalent of 1.25 million meals, at no cost to food-insecure residents in Montgomery County.

“We are incredibly grateful for KUSF food rescue volunteers, food donor partners, nonprofit recipient partner organizations, and community partnerships who are the heartbeat and make such a huge impact in the fight against hunger,” says KUSF Executive Director Tiffany Baumann Nelson.

Feeding America (2020) estimates that 12.5% of Montgomery County residents are considered food-insecure, or more than 73,000 residents. Yet the EPA (2021) estimates that approximately 35% of food in America is wasted or thrown away. KUSF connects excess to need, alleviating hunger and reducing food waste.

“I am disabled and haven’t worked in over six weeks. We have been going fishing to get our meals,” says a client who is now receiving additional food for his family at a nonprofit recipient partner with the help of free food deliveries from KUSF. KUSF Vice President Mary Blocker says, “we don’t see food as an availability problem, but as a distribution problem.”

Since 2015, KUSF has rescued and redistributed over 5.6 million pounds of surplus food, the equivalent of 4.7 million meals, feeding food-insecure neighbors and not landfills. KUSF hopes to continue its momentum by expanding rescue operations and serving the needs of our community, alleviating hunger, and reducing food waste in Montgomery County. A donation of $1 = 14 meals worth of surplus food being collected and delivered. KUSF and food donors never charge for this food. Nelson says, “There’s still work to be done, but hunger is a problem we can solve together.”

KUSF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that partners with food donors such as local grocers, restaurants, hotels, food distributors, schools, and the Montgomery County Food Bank. Certified food handler volunteers rescue and redistribute wholesome and safe surplus food to partner recipients daily, such as shelters, group homes, and food pantries serving food-insecure residents like families, veterans, and the youth of Montgomery County. To learn more about Keep US Fed Montgomery County, or for volunteering information, go to www.keepusfedmoco.org, like them on Facebook @Keep US Fed Montgomery County, and follow them on Instagram @keepusfed_montogmerycounty, or call 936-206-3604.