Reported by Positive Outlooks.
George Ahern of Othello, Washington was quick to take action when he learned that local farmers were planning to destroy unsold crops. The complexities of modern agriculture and associated business practices means that a portion of all crops produced simply can't be sold—and the usual practice is simply to destroy what remains.
Ahern's plan was straightforward—to prevent this food from going to waste by distributing it to local food banks, who are never without need of such supplies. But the enormity of this task quickly became apparent, as the farmers Ahern contacted had truckloads of onions and potatoes to give, and Ahern had only his car. When he reached out to his community for help, dozens of people volunteered, including Nancy Balin and Zsofia Pasztor, who would eventually help Ahern found EastWest Food Rescue.
Together, the organization had great success overcoming the logistical challenges at hand, and by the end of their first week in operation they had moved over sixty tons of food to food banks across Washington. Since then, with the help of many more volunteers and advocates, they've expanded their operation to bring food to banks and meal programs across the western United States. So far, the charity has moved almost eight million pounds of produce!
“I have seen minutes of effort move thousands, and thousands of pounds (of food),” Ahern said. “Just figure out what you are passionate about and what you could get involved in.”
