Giving Compass' Take:

• ReFED’s COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund partnered with Second Servings of Houston to help mitigate food waste and tackle hunger issues in Houston. 

• The fund significantly helped the organization in adapting to necessary changes due to COVID-19. How are you helping organizations in your community adapt? 

• Read about how COVID-19 has increased food waste within the system. 

Second Servings of Houston is working simultaneously to fight hunger and end food waste in Houston, Texas. With help from ReFED’s COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions Fund, they are expanding their work to help those impacted by COVID-19.

Founded in 2015, Second Servings of Houston rescues surplus food from businesses and delivers it directly to local food banks and charities, providing fresh food to people who need it most.

ReFED, a nonprofit committed to reducing U.S. food waste, launched the Fund to ensure organizations addressing food waste, like Second Servings of Houston, continue their work during the pandemic. The Fund raised and distributed more than US$3.5 million to 37 organizations with a goal of rescuing 41.5 million meals within 90 days.

When COVID-19 hit, Second Servings of Houston saw a drastic increase in surplus food and  rescued three times more than in 2019.

But Barbara Bronstein, Founder and President of Second Servings, explains that COVID-19 posed a number of logistical challenges to food rescue and distribution. “Many charities have altered their schedules, types of meal service, and methods of food distribution,” Bronstein tells Food Tank.

By supporting their logistics team, the ReFED Fund is helping them adapt to these changes. The ReFED Fund helps them pay for more food rescue drivers, pay for the additional fuel needed to reach more food and families, and effectively coordinate their food sourcing and recipient outreach efforts, according to Bronstein.

Read the full article about helping mitigate food waste by Leslie Brooks at Food Tank.