Feeding Families and the Planet: Sustainability Initiatives in Action
Sustainability Practices at The FOOD Pantry Serving Waukesha County: Caring for the Environment, One Meal at a Time
While the mission of The FOOD Pantry Serving Waukesha County is to provide food, hope and dignity to the Waukesha County residents, we have an opportunity to meet our mission in a way that protects our planet. As we work to alleviate food insecurity, we also believe it is important to integrate sustainability practices that minimize our environmental footprint. Below are some of the steps we're taking to make a positive impact on both people and the planet.
- Reducing Food Waste: A Key Focus
One of the largest contributors to environmental strain is food waste. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2019 approximately 40 million tons of food ended up in landfills. At The FOOD Pantry Serving Waukesha County, we actively work with local grocery stores, Feeding America, and Hunger Taskforce to reduce food waste by rescuing surplus food from local businesses, farmers, and grocery stores that would otherwise be discarded. This food is carefully checked by our food recovery volunteers and distributed to our clients, ensuring that less ends up in a landfill and more ends up on the plates of the people who need it. In 2024 alone, The FOOD Pantry distributed 679,624 pounds of food donated through the food recovery program.
- Composting for Healthier Soil
To further reduce waste, The FOOD Pantry has contracted with Compost Crusaders since June 2022. Compost Crusaders composts organic materials, such as fruits and vegetables, that we are not able to hand out to clients. This service diverts organic waste from landfills to Blue Ribbon Organics in Caldonia, Wisconsin so they can compost the material so that it can be used to enrich the soil, helping to promote healthier local gardens and farms. Since the contract inception, The FOOD Pantry has composted 64,200 pounds of organic waste.
- Supporting Local Farmers through Food Donations
The FOOD Pantry partners with local farmers who use food that would otherwise be discarded to feed their animals. This partnership is advantageous to the Pantry as it reduces disposal costs for compost and trash services. It also benefits our local farmers who utilize this surplus food to feed their chickens and pigs.
- Plastic and Cardboard Recycling: A Step Toward Sustainability
Recycling plays a vital role in reducing waste and conserving resources, and we’ve made it a priority to properly recycle plastic and cardboard materials.
Cardboard, commonly used for food packaging, is highly recyclable and can be repurposed into new materials, helping to reduce deforestation. The FOOD Pantry partners with ARR for cardboard recycling. ARR has provided the pantry with a 30-yard dumpster for cardboard. After the dumpster is filled, ARR collects the cardboard and takes it to their plant in Waukesha where they mill the cardboard. The milled cardboard is then taken to a paper plant in Appleton, WI to be made into new paper products. We are proud to partner with ARR because we are promoting sustainability practices and supporting Wisconsin businesses. As a corporate supporter of our non-profit, ARR not only provides us with the recycling service for free but also pays the pantry for the cardboard. In 2024, The FOOD Pantry recycled 39.59 tons of cardboard.
Plastic recycling, while more challenging, is equally important. The Pantry has an arrangement with NexTrex to recycle stretch plastic so that it can be made into Trex decking. As a “thank you” for recycling 1,000 pounds of plastic in a year, the pantry received a Trex furniture bench which will be auctioned off in our silent auction at the May fundraising event.
- Identifying Ways to Reduce Energy Consumption
Utility costs are a significant expense for The FOOD Pantry due the large refrigeration/freezer equipment needed to support our operation. In an effort to reduce energy utilization, The Pantry worked with The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 494 and Atec Electric to install LED lights in the warehouse. This should reduce utility bills by $1,400 per year.
Together, We Can Make a Difference
By adopting sustainability practices at The FOOD Pantry, we can make a significant difference in our community by reducing food insecurity and supporting a greener environment.
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