After a long day at work, I was rummaging through the fridge — looking past the wilted cilantro at the bottom of the drawer and that cucumber from September that’s seen better days — searching for milk to finish the mac and cheese my kids were waiting for.
At the same time, I was listening to a TED Talk where a leading expert on food waste explained that globally, one-third of all food — about a trillion dollars’ worth, or a billion meals a day — ends up wasted.
That got me thinking.
In a restaurant, we plan every meal, track every ingredient, and work hard to use everything we buy.
But at home — and across the food system — there’s still so much left unused.
And now, with news of a government shutdown affecting SNAP and food-assistance programs, finding solutions feels even more urgent.
Here in Wichita, one organization is tackling that problem head-on.
Stephanie Merritt founded ICT Food Rescue in 2016, inspired by volunteer work in New York and D.C.
Her mission accelerated when she partnered with Food Rescue US, an app that connects restaurants with surplus food to organizations in need — like the Union Rescue Mission, which feeds more than 150 people three times a day.
ICT Food Rescue offers free pickups, matching donations large or small with local groups that can use them.
After talking with Stephanie, I downloaded the app myself.
Because food rescue starts with awareness — then action — and those small actions can turn leftovers into someone's next meal.
