Food waste in the United States is a major ecological and moral problem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans in 2015 wasted 31% \u2014 or 133 billion pounds \u2014 of their overall food supply.<\/p>\n
This is a tremendous waste of natural resources, contributes to climate change, and squanders food that could be saved for\u00a0the country\u2019s most vulnerable. Two years ago, the EPA decided to address the issue by announcing a new goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030.<\/p>\n
The students at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth\u00a0have stepped up to\u00a0meet the challenge of reducing food waste. Last spring, students organized to create the TCU Food Recovery Network. It began by donating leftover food from its dining halls to the Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County homeless shelter. When the football season started, the group expanded its donation efforts by collecting the unused food served in the suites and club seats at each TCU home game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The haul from their first game netted\u00a0over 1,000 pounds of food for the shelter. \u201cEverything that gets brought here gets used,\u201d Robert Clethan, the food services director at the Union Gospel Mission,\u00a0told the Star-Telegram. After the game, the food is frozen\u00a0then transported to the shelter by the\u00a0TCU Food Recovery Network the next day. The donations consist of delicious game-day munchies \u2014\u00a0including\u00a0brisket, chicken wings, cornbread, potato salad, and cookies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Union Gospel Mission serves meals to about 300 people three times a day, so the food is truly a godsend. According to its website, its\u00a0mission is \u201cproviding love, hope, respect and a new beginning for the homeless. We strive to end homelessness one person at [a] time.\u201d<\/p>\n
TCU\u2019s efforts are a wonderful example for universities everywhere looking to reduce food waste while aiding their communities. \u201cPeople really want to help out, but they don\u2019t know how to help out sometimes,\u201d Clethan said. \u201cThey just need to know there\u2019s a place like this that can use things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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