Thousands of people in Columbus go to bed hungry every night, while restaurants, markets and bakeries find themselves throwing away leftovers because they have no way to get it to people in need. But one local group is trying to change that one road trip at a time. North Market is just about to close and several vendors, including Bretzel and Omega, are gathering up whatever they didn't sell to donate it to Community Plates. Community Plates wants to end hunger in Columbus. On any given day, the US Agriculture Department says there are nearly 50 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from. In Columbus, that number stands at more than 200,000. Community Plates started with a handful of volunteers and an idea. Smart phone routes Food routes are conveyed via social media or a smart phone app. Food runners pick up leftovers from local restaurants and vendors and distribute them to local food pantries and soup kitchens using their own car. Columbus Director Susan Keiser Smith says Community Plates has mushroomed since it began 2012. âWe're growing very fast. At the beginning of the year we had about twenty volunteers and now we're over a hundred. I think last month we rescued 9-thousand meals just in Columbus, Keiser Smith said.â? Eager to donate Inside the market, vendors know Keiser-Smith by name and seem eager to donate their leftover food which on this night will go to Faith Mission on Grant Avenue. Brian Ellingwood is the manager of Omega Artisan Baking. He says they often bake a little extra just to donate. âWe're happy when we have stuff. We just don't want to throw it away. And if we can make use of it, we want to do that. And if we can feed people with it, all the better," he said. On this run, Omega donates six 5o-pound flour bags full of bread and rolls. Handing over a big bag of her leftovers, Pam Tylka of Pam's Popcorn is also enthusiastic. She used to donate her leftovers to another North Market vendor that sells farm raised meats. âI'd rather see people eating it," Tylka said. "If they're not eating it, I give it to Bluescreek and one way or another it goes. I'd rather see people eating it than hogs." Over at Bluescreek, Assistant Manager Tim Struble hands over two very large bags of bones and meat scraps. He says avoiding throwing out usable food is important. âThe biggest thing that I see with Bluescreek especially is nothing goes to waste. There's so much effort, so much love put into everything that we do, to see anything thrown away just really hurts us more than anything. So Community Plates is a valuable resource," Smith said.
Community Plates: Food Swaps Designed To End Hunger
