SPUR's Food Rescue Initiative

Partnering with local food stores, the SPUR Food Rescue Initiative saves thousands of pounds of excess prepared food each year that would otherwise be thrown away from ending up in landfills by delivering it to local organizations fighting food insecurity in Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, and Swampscott.

​

Each year, over 30% of all food in the U.S. goes unserved and ends up in a landfill.  That's over 133 billion pounds of food annually.  Besides the huge amount of resources wasted in its production, food waste produces large amounts of methane, a powerful and dangerous greenhouse gas.  This wasted food is not just an environmental threat; it represents a lost opportunity to lessen the burden of food insecurity in our community. 

​

At a time when 16.8% of households in Massachusetts are experiencing food insecurity, programs like ours have twice the impact - feeding neighbors in need of a nutritious meal and decreasing our collective environmental impact. 

​

We currently pick up items from Shubie’s and Crosby's in Marblehead.  Deliveries are made six days a week to several organizations fighting food insecurity in Lynn, Marblehead, Salem, and Swampscott.

​

Nicole O’Brien, founder and executive director of Ruth’s Way for Women, described the food they’ve received as “amazingly delicious.” 

​

“It’s been an absolutely wonderful experience,” added O’Brien.