Last month, I celebrated Passover, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the exodus of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. According to the story, my ancestors survived by eating manna, a food that fell from heaven.
Last month, I also celebrated modern manna that feeds hungry people here in Ventura County. The event at the Mana Conejo Valley Food Bank included public recognition and a tour of new kitchen equipment that allows the nonprofit to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste.
Manna's new equipment was funded by the Ventura County Recycling Market Development Zone, a program I manage. Some food rescues will require equipment and modifications within the organization's warehouses. This category includes leftover meat at the deli counter at the end of the day, additional meals prepared by the caterer but not served at the event, and items prepared by the restaurant in anticipation of menu items that were not ordered. .
Although Mana will have to work harder and incur more expenses to rescue this food for hungry people, the potential rewards are substantial and power producers are legally required to arrange rescues. It is mandatory to do so.
Senate Bill 1383 is a 2016 law that took effect in January 2022 and establishes statewide requirements for diversion of food scraps and yard clippings from landfills. The law also states that by 2025, at least 20% of wasted edible food must be rescued for human consumption. State fees collected at landfills help fund compliance efforts.
Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorrell said at the opening event for Mana's new kitchen. “We all contribute to this (state) recycling fund every day (through landfill fees) and send millions of dollars to CalRecycle, and it's not coming back.” Our community… Unless you have a good project in place…that's what this project is. We get our own money back so we can use that precious resource to help people. ”
Other food rescue organizations in Ventura County are also benefiting from public grants and assistance to collect prepared food. Through a $500,000 state grant awarded in 2018 by a coalition of public agencies and nonprofit organizations led by the Ventura County Department of Public Health, Spirit of Santa Paula, Oxnard Rescue Mission, and Ventura County Community Health Action purchased refrigerated trucks, refrigerators, and refrigerators. Additional tools for collecting, safely transporting, storing, and serving prepared foods.
Last year, a coalition of eight local cities and Ventura County, led by the county's Department of Public Works' Integrated Waste Management Division, hired Santa Ana-based contractor Abound Food Care to further develop local food. signed a $371,000 contract. relief.
As Thousand Oaks Mayor Pro Tem David Newman noted at the Mana event, the City of Thousand Oaks held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Thrive Globe Navigation Center on Lawrence Drive last month. A $5.8 million grant from the California Interagency Homeless Council will help fund housing, meals, laundry, restroom facilities, computer stations, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and workforce training. Additional state funding to the city will pay for mobile refrigerated trailers and dry storage to help local nonprofit food recovery organizations rescue donated food and increase storage capacity for dry food. It is expected that
Some food recovery groups in Thousand Oaks are already handling a limited amount of prepared food. For example, Adelante Comunidad Conejo picks up prepackaged salads from Trader Joe's and Vons during the week and distributes them at outdoor flea market events.
One of Mana's new food sources is Gerson's Thousand Oaks. The first line of the grocer's webpage reads, “Locals looking for the best gourmet grocery store in Thousand Oaks will find everything they need at Gerson's.” For local residents looking for food just to meet their bare needs, and for those who are starting elsewhere to collect cooked food, Mana's new program will help provide the basics for health. It will provide a source of essential high-quality nutrition.
David Goldstein, environmental resources analyst for the Ventura County Public Works Agency, can be reached at 805-658-4312 or david.goldstein@ventura.org.