A different kind of local

Submitted August 02, 2010 by Ben Shine | 0 comments

Yesterday I had an amazing lunch. Here was the menu:

* Garden salad
* Fruit salad
* Mashed potatoes
* Sautéed spinach
* Rice
* Breaded pork chop
* Roasted lamb


I was so full from this lunch that I had to pass on dessert. There are two natural questions that may come to mind. How much must all of this cost and where did I find such a great diverse local meal. The cost is easy, a small monetary donation (my choice, not a requirement). The story of where the food came from is much more interesting. Yesterday, I joined the staff ofSecond Helpings for a lunch prepared by their 60th culinary class.

Second Helpings rescues prepared and perishable food, re-prepares it into nutritious meals, and distributes those meals to over 60 social services organizations that feed hungry people. The first part of this is the key to my local meal. Though the pork or rice may not have originated in Indiana, it was going to be thrown away in Indiana. Second Helpings has arrangements with restaurants around the city like Taylor’s Bakery and Flemings to pick up food they can no longer use. It isn’t spoiled food they get, but food that no longer meets the specific requirements of the restaurant. A good example is the lettuce used for Thai lettuce wraps: If the lettuce isn’t perfectly crisp, then the item doesn’t work. If the restaurant doesn’t then use the lettuce for salad, it could be donated and repurposed.

According to Second Helpings website:

* Americans throw away a lot of food – an average of a pound a day for every man, woman and child in the country. That’s 27% of our available food supply going right into the trash.
* (They) rescue as much of that food as (they) can. In fact, every year (they) rescue over 1.5 million of pounds of food. (They) take resources that nobody wanted and use them to fulfill the most fundamental need that people can’t live without – the need to be nourished with healthy food.
* (They) work with our partners in the food service industry—distributors, caterers, restaurants, grocers, and others—to safely and efficiently collect surplus and perishable food that was headed for the landfill.


Not only does Second Helpings get their food from restaurants, but they are the only community kitchen in the country that has been endorsed by Kroger. You can also provide food to Second Helpings, if you have extra cans in your pantry or grew too many tomatoes in your garden, they will always find a use for the food. If it doesn’t fit into their current menu they will make sure the food gets to Gleaners or other food banks in the community.

If all Second Helpings did was rescue the food and redistribute it, I think it would be an amazing organization, but it is so much more. Each year Second Helpings provides culinary job training to approximately 80 students who are either unemployed or underemployed. The training is free to the students who upon graduation will receive 6 credits from the culinary program at Ivy Tech Community College. The program is so well respected that it has received the designation of Program of Excellence by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. You can find graduates of this program in some of the finest kitchens across the city.

Second Helpings has a great event coming up on August 28th, Harvest. Chefs from some of the best restaurants around the city prepare food for the event that is then paired with wine. The event will also feature beer and spirit tasting Check out their website for information about Harvest or sign up for Chef Carl’s mailing list at www.chefcarl.blogspot.com to learn how you can also get invited to have a meal prepared by the chefs in the training program .

 

To read David's earlier entries, visit: http://indyhub.org/article.aspx?ItemID=315

 

About the Author:

David Feinberg has spent his last 12 years living in Indianapolis trying to learn about everything our city has to offer. He spends his days in the exciting profession of accounting and has spent time volunteering with arts organizations (Theatre on the Square and American Pianists Association), Second Helpings, and the Humane Society of Indianapolis. Over the past 6 years his wife and her friends have converted David from his apathy for the environment to a guy who turned in his Jeep for a Prius, has 2 compost piles in his yard, and makes special trips to recycling plants for the things Republic doesn't accept yet. Over the next month he is going to take the next big environmental step, he is going to live as an Indiana Locavore. Follow his journey through his weekly blog on our website. Each Friday he will post an entry that talks about different events or organizations in Indianapolis that are helping to support his quest to be a bit more green.

 

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