Press Release

The Greater Boston Food Bank and Lovin’ Spoonfuls Collaborate to Reduce Food Waste
The two organizations join together to meet food needs of donors and feed local communities

BOSTON – December 9, 2015 – The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, and Lovin’ Spoonfuls, the largest Massachusetts-based food rescue organization, today announced their collaboration to reduce food waste and increase food security in Eastern Massachusetts. The nature of each organization provides for a complementary alliance – GBFB and Lovin’ Spoonfuls will work together to ensure that the minimum volume of food is wasted while continuing to meet the needs of the community.

The collaboration plays to the strengths of each organization and is based on a referral system – if Lovin’ Spoonfuls has excess rescued perishable food in a given day, GBFB will accept and distribute these food donations in its Marketplace, where its member agencies can pick up the food in addition to their scheduled orders. If GBFB receives a donation of food eligible for rescue, it will refer the party to Lovin’ Spoonfuls who will deliver the donation directly to GBFB’s member agencies.

“We are committed to operating efficiently, so this collaboration with Lovin’ Spoonfuls to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, food waste was a natural fit,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. “One in nine Eastern Massachusetts residents is food insecure, and by maximizing food rescue, we can provide at least one meal a day for these residents in need.”

The alliance comes at a time when the EPA recently recognized the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for leading food recovery outreach. Lovin’ Spoonfuls and GBFB’s work will increase food rescue, subsequently strengthening the food system and people who depend on it. The collaboration also supports best practices in accordance with MassDEP’s commercial food waste disposal ban and addresses one of the EPA’s top priorities in the Food Recovery Hierarchy – feeding the hungry.

“We are excited to join forces with The Greater Boston Food Bank to share resources and information which will enable us to better serve the people of Eastern Massachusetts as we continue to expand throughout the region,” said Ashley Stanley, Founder and Executive Director of Lovin’ Spoonfuls. “Partnering with GBFB will allow us to rescue more food and continue to grow our operations to serve more people and ensure less food is going to waste.”

As part of their joint efforts, GBFB and Lovin’ Spoonfuls will combine their research and data to identify food insecure areas and understand the specific needs in each community, as well as determine areas for additional attention.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB distributes more than 54 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to 550 member hunger-relief agencies and more than 30 direct service programs throughout Eastern Massachusetts in a dedicated partnership to end hunger in our region. This provides meals for as many as 500,000 people a year. GBFB is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. For more information, visit us at GBFB.org, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank), or call us at (617) 427-5200.

About Lovin’ Spoonfuls
Headquartered in Boston, MA, Lovin’ Spoonfuls is a 501c3, non-profit organization that is legitimizing local, immediate, and responsible food rescue. They facilitate the rescue and distribution of healthy, fresh food that would otherwise be discarded. Lovin’ Spoonfuls works efficiently to deliver this food directly to the community organizations and resources where it can have the greatest impact. Lovin’ Spoonfuls is the bridge between abundance and need, leading systemic change in hunger relief. They solidify community resources by connecting grocery stores, produce wholesalers, farms and farmers markets to local meal programs and social service entities serving those in need. Lovin’ Spoonfuls utilizes a direct distribution system where their refrigerated trucks pick up fresh, healthy, perishable foods from donors and deliver it directly to meal centers within the same day.  Since 2010, the Lovin’ Spoonfuls team has rescued and distributed more than 3,000,000 pounds of fresh food in the Greater Boston area and distributed it at no cost to local soup kitchens, homeless shelters and crisis centers throughout the city. For more information, please visit www.lovinspoonfulsinc.org.