It is estimated that 40 percent of the food that is produced is wasted. Lynne Hutchison is the program director of Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. She stated that 20 percent of people in Cuyahoga County go hungry every day. This means that the amount of food that is wasted is greater than the number of people who are hungry.
One of the reasons that food is often wasted is because there are issues with getting food to people who need it. Fortunately, there is a new app that will help reduce food waste. Lynne stated that the app will bridge the gap between the needy and donors.
The app shows people where they can donate food. It also shows people where they can go volunteer to hand out food. Volunteers can use the app to choose the time that they want to work. Hunger Network has teamed up with 412 Food Rescue and Giant Eagle to offer this app.
They plan on expanding this app. Cleveland is currently the third city in the state to use this app. Jannah Jablonowski is a representative for Giant Eagle. She stated that the company has been dedicated to giving back to communities since they have been in business. She also stated that teaming up with the communities is making it easier to reduce food waste.
Jannah said that if food waste is reduced, then the number of people who go to bed hungry can be reduced. She also said that hunger in Cuyohoaga County can be eliminated if food waste was reduced by a third. Additionally, Jannah stated that she needs the help of the community to make that impact.
Volunteers can help by downloading the app and giving some basic information about themselves. Food distributors who want to participate can visit HungerNetwork.org.
