The Alameda County Community Food Bank will expand its food recovery program, using a new hybrid truck — purchased with money from a state grant — to collect and transport 1 million pounds of food per year.
The $100,000 grant came from California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery’s (CalRecycle) Organics Grant Program, and was secured by Waste Management of Alameda County. The new truck was unveiled during a ceremony Friday at the food bank on Edgewater Drive in Oakland.
The additional food-gathering effort comes ahead of state Senate Bill 1383, which establishes a 75 percent reduction by 2025 of organic waste ending up in landfills, and a 20 percent reduction of edible food going to the landfill.
Expansion of food recovery efforts like this is a core part of the food bank’s efforts to serve 20 percent of Alameda County residents either experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, hunger. The food bank already recovers more than 10 million pounds of healthy, surplus food per year —nearly one-third of its total food distribution — from manufacturers and retailers.
“California communities are pioneers and know best how to connect surplus food to neighbors in need rather than adding to the estimated 11 billion pounds of food landfilled in the state each year,” CalRecycle acting director Ken DaRosa said in a statement.
“Environmentally conscious partnerships, like the one between Alameda County Community Food Bank and Waste Management, make our communities healthier by feeding Californians in need and reducing organic waste that contributes to climate change when it decomposes in landfills.”