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Did you know that half of every crop harvested is thrown away?
If a farmer grows 100,000 pounds of tomatoes, usually about half of them (50,000 lbs) must be thrown away. This is because if a tomato is slightly misshapen, discolored, too small (or too big), or blemished in any way, it will not meet the consumer demand for a "perfect" tomato and will therefore be rejected. This is true for many fruit and vegetable crops. To prevent trucks of produce from being rejected, crops are "culled" (hand sorted) after they are picked. About half goes into the truck on its way to the store. The other half goes into the truck going to the dump, or destined to be plowed under and sprayed with insecticide. The food being thrown away is not rotten or bad in any way.
This problem is no one's "fault," and is certainly not the farmer's doing. No farmer enjoys throwing away half the fruits of his or her labor. However, day in and day out we end up feeding our landfills instead of our hungry. Thankfully, there is a solution to this dilemma. Instead of dumping, farmers donate this food to Farm Share!
Culled Fresh Produce Looks and Tastes Great!
Please click the button below:
For every dollar donated, Farm Share distributes 11.5 pounds of nutritious food.
Think about that. If you donate $10, we will distribute 115 lbs of food to local churches, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. Your donation (or your workplace/organization's donation) of $100 means more than a half ton of food goes to the hungry in our communities! It also keeps a half ton of good food from clogging our landfills as garbage. How much time, effort, and money would it take you to both collect and distribute a half ton of food and recycle a half ton of garbage so it doesn't go to the dump? Also, you are helping the farmers who get a tax credit for their donation of boxed produce and do not have to pay to dispose of the produce they donate. That's a lot of value.
The vast majority of culled produce is still being thrown away. Help us end hunger and prevent waste by making a generous donation to the cause. Still want to do more? Talk to your office or favorite social group about raising money to help recover food.
Non-Discrimination Policy
In accordance with Federal Law and US Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call 866-632-9992 (voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339, or 800-845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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