Program Goals:
1) To provide our customers increased access to a bigger variety of affordable, healthy and fresh food choices
2) To acquire additional food to be used in meals for the hungry that will help stretch our resources farther and serve more families in need
3) To reduce the food waste in our community and leave a smaller environmental footprint while engaging local business and food agencies in our mission
Three components are the focus of the Food Outreach Program at this time:
Food Rescue
Food waste has become an epidemic in our communities. In the U.S. alone, about 40 percent of all edible food goes to waste equating to a $165 billion a year loss according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This fact is inexcusable considering that 50 million Americans are currently classified as food insecure. Community Cooperative's Food Rescue Program partners with smaller food producers, restaurants, and caterers who have perishable and prepared food that would otherwise end up in a landfill and use this food to feed the hungry. Food Rescue saves money, increases access to fresh food for low income families, cuts down on waste and lessens the footprint Lee County leaves on our environment.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Food Rescue Partner, contact Meghan Madden at 239-332-7687
Mobile Food Pantries
Community Cooperative has fed thousands of individuals and families through Southwest Florida's first mobile food pantries. These innovative rolling distribution centers deliver food and emergency groceries to those in need where they live and work across Southwest Florida, as well as open the door to introduce them to Community Cooperative's other services including assistance with housing, employment, food stamps and tax programs. Mobile pantries target food deserts or areas that are isolated from larger markets with affordable and fresh food to increase the access to healthy food to low-income families.
Due to school space limitations, we use a mobile pantry at Bonita Springs Elementary to implement the School Pantry Program at that location.
Sustainable Food Projects
• We host a garden on-site at our Fort Myers Everyday Cafe located at 3429 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The garden was planted in partnership with ECHO who donated plants and organizations like Next Level Church help harvest and maintain the garden. Recycled items were used for planters and soil was donated as well. The garden is now used to produce organic herbs, vegetables and edible plants to be used as ingredients in cafe and Meals On Wheels meals and for market produce.
• We partner with local growers and urban gardens to increase access to and provide more fresh produce in low-income neighborhoods resulting in healthy people, healthy environments, and healthy economies. Organic produce purchased from partners like Lakes Community Garden, ECHO and individual gardeners is used as ingredients in meals prepared for our Meals On Wheels seniors and for homeless and formerly homeless individuals who eat at our Cafes & Markets.
• We partnered with Southwest Florida Beekeeping Association and Lee County Extension Service to train homeless and unemployed people as beekeepers. Florida's warm temperatures are very conducive to beekeeping. Individuals are trained to maintain honey bee colonies, collect honey and other products of the hive, and produce bees for sale to other beekeepers.
• We partner with a variety of community organizations including ECHO to empower individuals to make healthy food choices, learn sustainable food practices, and participate in a vibrant local food system. Through cooking, gardening, nutrition, and wellness education, individuals and families understand the value of a local food system, achieve increased access to locally grown food, and are empowered to improve long-term health. ECHO teaches low-income community gardeners how to improve their gardening skills and assists with food education and local food guides.
• Urban Farmers In Training or UFIT was a partnership between our Cafe Education Program, Roots Heritage Garden and The Freedom and Virtue Institute. This program was another effort to provide job training to clients looking for a fresh start. The program lasted twelve weeks and was taught by volunteer Master Gardeners with all supplies and gardening location provided by Roots Heritage Garden. Students were taught both in the classroom and through hands on experience in the dirt. The UFIT program implements all pesticide free growing practices. Produce grown from the program may be sold at the garden's produce stand that is open to the public seven days a week. Some of the produce is donated back to Commnity Cooperative. Not only were students taught about growing practices, plants, and harvesting but they were also taught an entire component on entrepreneurial business skills. Entrepreneurial skills can be utilized to expand the garden training into a small business that may support or sustain an individual's livelihood.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Garden Partner, please contact Meghan Madden at 239-332-7687 ext.
