From Start to Finish, Second Chance Foods' Volunteers Show They Care
Beyond the Pantry
What meals come to mind when you think about food assistance and hunger relief? Maybe non-perishable items like canned vegetables like green beans or corn, boxes of pasta, or some quick prepared meals like tuna sandwiches or large pots of soup. But do you imagine rack of lamb, beef braciole, calzones, jerk meatballs, salmon filets, or steak fajitas with guacamole? That’s just a small list of some of the more complex meals we’re able to make for our neighbors in need. It may sound odd at first to see these foods cooked by the Second Chance Foods kitchen, but we believe a good meal nourishes more than the body but the soul.
Delicious Food to Show We Care - and- Make People Feel Good!
We believe, delicious food made with love from fresh ingredients shows our recipients we care. We’re grateful to have such incredible foods donated like whole racks of lamb (a $3,000 value!) that we wouldn’t be able to purchase to prepare as a part of our operations. These expensive items are also beyond the budget of anyone in need of food assistance with or without government programs. As food prices rise the ability for many people in need to afford healthy foods decreases. That leaves many fruits, vegetables, and especially proteins like chicken, salmon, steak, turkey and many more options off the table. We’re proud to provide these elevated items and remind our recipients that they deserve to eat well.
Variety & Options - Treating Recipients with Dignity
We wouldn’t want to eat the same thing every day or week, so why would we expect someone else to? Even though there are recipes we love to make, we try to provide a variety of meals week after week. Our weekly boxes are a mixture of prepared meals that change based on what is in season along with fresh groceries like fruit, yogurt, eggs, bread, packaged meats, and other unique treats from our grocery partners and farms. We think this is another way to honor our food recipients and treat them with dignity. And while we can’t prove it, we think this variety and choice over what you eat brings joy!
We Make Mealtime Special
"We love being able to make meals and distribution boxes special. Sides like Guacamole, Aioli, Slaw, Pickles, snacks like our Banana Chips, and sometimes even a dessert like Apple Crisp or Clafoutis bring an added element that is fun, tasty, and despite the extra work to prepare - an important part of reducing food waste.
These foods come to us in abundance and need to be preserved to pass on. It's core to our mission to transform the soft avocados, browning bananas, bushels of apples, and many other items into an elevated part of a meal for someone in crisis. We hope these special items and all our food is a reminder that they're more than their current situation and show how much we care."
-Martha Elder, Second Chance Foods Executive Director
Love At Every Stage of Preparation
Every week, an incredible amount of care and love is put into the food that passes through Second Chance Foods. Throughout our process, that means having an elevated consideration for the rescued food, impact on the planet, and the people we serve is practiced at every stage. From start to finish, our volunteers treat each ingredient with respect because they know how important food is to improving someone else’s life.
Boxes of Kindness
Sorted with Care & Consideration
Did You Know?
Centering Our Recipients Needs
Finishing Touches to Show the Love
We’re so grateful for the food donated to us from grocery stores, farms, and other donors. Our process would not be possible without these partners taking the time to set food aside, contact, and coordinate with us.
This continues in the kitchen, where items are sorted and organized. Sometimes that means carefully going through produce boxes to see if it’s just one moldy orange or a whole bag. Or the consideration that just because some bok choy is wilted and mushy that the bundle next to it may still be delicious!
If the food we receive isn’t in good enough condition to consume it’s composted or helps feed pigs at a nearby farm. We also recycle all we can to ensure we’re reducing waste internally!
We bring in our love for feeding people even when deciding what to make. We look at what has been donated and who we’re cooking for. Whoever we’re cooking for, we put them in the center of our minds and aim to make something they’re excited to eat and serve their families.
Whenever we cook or prepare food for others, the kitchen is filled with the liveliness of our volunteers putting love into each chopped pepper, peeled potato, and sautéed onion. Even in the finished stages of packaging food, the volunteers’ inner chef comes out, ensuring the presentation is thoughtful and beautiful.
We can never say it enough...THANK YOU!!! to all the volunteers that give their time and talents to nourish our community.
You continue to impress us with your generosity, compassion, and skills in the kitchen! This summer when it was close to 100 in the kitchen, our volunteers didn’t shy away from staying all day and making calzones so that the previously cut dough was put to good use and did not go to waste. That’s one example of many that make us so grateful for everyone who helps cut, chop, stir, and especially clean up! Sign Up Today for a shift to join these amazing volunteers here!
