Rockland County organizations find ways to fill demand for food among those in need

Food insecurity remains at an all-time high amid the pandemic, and organizations in Rockland County have found ways to fill that demand.

News 12 Staff

Mar 8, 2021, 2:05 PM

Updated 1,307 days ago

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Food insecurity remains at an all-time high amid the pandemic, and organizations in Rockland County have found ways to fill that demand.
Katherine Rife, co-founder of Soup Angels, says about 60% of the food they serve is saved from supermarkets that would have tossed it away simply because it didn't sell.
Instead, it's filling the pantry's demand which has doubled since last year.
Organization TOUCH also started rescuing food from stores in 2010.
"It's really rewarding to go to these programs and see how grateful people are to have access to this food that otherwise would have been going to landfills," says Magda Durante, food recovery coordinator for TOUCH.
Once the food is dropped off to pantries, it's sorted, and some is cooked. The rest goes home with families.
Since last spring, rescue efforts tripled to fill the growing need. There are saving 70,000 pounds of food a month but tell News 12 it is barely a dent in what's being wasted.
"We still see food being thrown out and it's painful. It's really painful to see that food go to waste," says Durante.
They are now turning to the community for help, pushing for donations so they can do more.