Local food shelf supports the community and the environment
Canasta Familiar, a food shelf operated by Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) in Saint Paul, provides culturally appropriate food to about 500 families per week. But they don’t stop there. The food shelf also has a zero-waste policy, which includes making sure food that is expired or no longer fit for consumption is composted.
Canasta Familiar started as a weekly market-style event that eventually shifted to offering pre-sorted baskets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every week, Canasta Familiar receives food from Second Harvest Heartland, an organization that collects unused but edible food throughout the Twin Cities. Staff at Canasta Familiar sort the food and prepare baskets filled with fresh and healthy options.
Produce that is moldy, bruised, damaged or expired is collected as food scraps and sent to be composted. Canasta Familiar collected 31,071 pounds of food scraps for composting in 2020 and has distributed over 81,000 pounds of rescued food to date.
Food rescue (or food recovery) is an important part of decreasing food waste and serving the needs of the community in Ramsey County. To support this work, Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy offers grants to support programs that recover extra, edible food for distribution to those in need in Ramsey County. Food Recovery Grants are open to non-profits, community organizations and businesses in Ramsey County until Oct. 31. Learn more
This article is featured in Green Ramsey, an environmental health newsletter from Ramsey County.
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