ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Flori Pate lives in Asheville, a city known for its food scene, among other things.

What You Need To Know

  • April is Asheville’s third annual Food Waste Reduction month
  • A National Resources Defense Council study found that 38% of all trash in Asheville households is food waste
  • Food Connection is a food rescue organization that has now rescued and delivered over half a million meals in Asheville

“The thought of that quality of food ending up in the trash makes no sense,” Pate said.

While running the Dig Local app, she had a conversation with local restaurant Pack’s Tavern to discuss an issue the business was having. The staff had catered events filling up their calendar but didn’t want to throw away the unserved food that followed. 

“Is there anything you all could do about it?” Pate reflected on the question she was asked. 

She included that the worst thing at a catered event is when caterers run out of food, which is why they strive to make more than needed, sometimes leaving full trays of food behind.

That conversation in 2014 led to the start of Food Connection, a food rescue organization that has now rescued and delivered over half a million meals in Asheville. 

“The types of food are pulled pork, crab cakes, roasted local vegetables and fajitas, which is just delicious, nutritious food. That is what we all need, and a lot of our neighbors can’t access,” Pate said.

A National Resources Defense Council study found that 38% of all trash in Asheville households is food waste. To Pate, those numbers are meals that she can help save. 

“Doing research, I learned the shocking statistics that 40% of our food supply in America ends up in the trash,” Pate said.

With Asheville leaders continuing to dedicate the entire month of April to this initiative, Pate said this will help educate the community about how they can contribute, whether that is supporting organizations like Food Connection or reducing their own food waste. 

“The thing that you should do, according to the EPA’s hierarchy, is if you can’t reduce food production at the source, the very second thing you should do is feed people,” Pate said.