When vendors have more of a particular item than they can sell, or perhaps produce that's misshapen, they give it to the food rescue organization, Sharing Excess.
Workers inspect each piece of produce. Anything past its prime goes to compost; the rest is packed and prepared for delivery to one of over 300 community organizations that distribute food to communities all over the city.
Evan Ehlers officially founded Sharing Excess in 2018 but the idea took root 2 years earlier when he was a student studying entrepreneurship at Drexel University.
He had 50 leftover meal swipes on his dining account. At the same time, he says he was seeing people suffering from hunger on a daily basis.
So he swiped all of the meals out, loaded them into his car and gave them to people living on the street in Center City.
He also started researching and found "that nearly 38% of the food we produce in the U.S. goes to waste.:
His first step was to convince his classmates to donate their unused meals too.
Then he started connecting with grocery stores to pick up whatever perishable foods hadn't sold that day, and he started calling shelters, churches and other organizations addressing hunger and food insecurity in our area.
Sharing Excess now rescues and re-distributes over a million pounds of food each week, partnering with grocery stores, restaurants and farmers.
Evan credits his mother for his empathy.
A Colombian immigrant who, he says, taught him how important it was to be grateful for what he had.
He describes his parents as beyond proud, and says he is just getting started.
His hope is to expand Sharing Excess nationwide and one day all over the world.
Sharing Excess | Website |Facebook | Instagram
Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market | Website | Facebook |Instagram
6700 Essington Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 19153
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