Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue prevents food waste, provides fresh food to Omahans
Juli Oberlander • October 1, 2020
Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue prevents food waste, provides fresh food to Omahans
Photos courtesy of Tracy Wells
In challenging times, Saving Grace Perishable Food Rescue has been known to rise to the occasion.
Established in 2013, Saving Grace seeks to eliminate hunger by collecting and distributing perishable food items to vulnerable populations. Throughout COVID-19, the organization has been true to its mission to prevent food waste and provide resources to Omahans in need.
"During the pandemic, Saving Grace has been quick to respond to our community’s changing needs for food," says director of development Tracy Wells. "We’ve rescued 42,000 pounds of food from restaurants, event venues, casinos, bars and other food vendors as their kitchens closed because of COVID-19."
In response to the pandemic, Saving Grace has also worked with COVID-19 garden and farming response groups such as Siembra (Feeding) Nebraska to provide fresh produce to the community. Wells says several community garden partners have increased their current spaces during COVID-19 and created new garden areas to address food insecurity in Omaha.
During the growing season, Wells says Saving Grace will provide the logistics and distribution services to connect excess produce with local nonprofit partners. The organization is also assisting Catholic Charities and Millard Public Schools by distributing weekly USDA Farmers to Families food boxes of fresh produce and dairy to families in need.
Wells says the front-line team consisting of five drivers has continued its daily routes to ensure the community has access to healthy food. Saving Grace is also working with Intercultural Senior Center to bring food to Omahans.
Caroline Padilla, executive director of Intercultural Senior Center (ISC), says Saving Grace staff drive to the center every day, often collecting and delivering more than 100 bags of food per day.
“Food is what links and unites people," Padilla says. "We are so appreciative that Saving Grace is with us. Everything that comes to us goes out the same day or the next."
Together with Saving Grace, Padilla says ISC delivers food to clients' doorsteps using a van that previously transported seniors to various service locations, one more example of how local organizations are adapting to the current circumstances.
In addition to its partnership with ISC, Saving Grace is working with Juan Diego Center to distribute the USDA Farmers to Families food boxes to the community.
Mikaela Schuele, director of emergency and supportive food services for Catholic Charities, says Juan Diego typically serves an average family size of about 5 people, but that number has increased since COVID-19. Now, families that used to depend on two to three school meals are having to feed their children at home and rely on alternative food services.
Schuele says the partnership with Saving Grace has been "seamless." The organizations have worked together to set up a schedule for distribution of about 20 to 25 pallets of produce each week containing 60 to 120 food boxes. Saving Grace collects the boxes from Juan Diego every day (excluding Friday) and delivers food to its nonprofit partners.
In all, the team has delivered the food boxes to about 25 different places through Saving Grace and Juan Diego’s outreach efforts. Schuele says Juan Diego donations have made a large impact in the community, thanks to the partnership with Saving Grace.
“We are so grateful for our partnership," Schuele says. "There was no way we would be able to provide this quantity to others without the transportation services.”
To learn more about Saving Grace and its upcoming drive-in theater fundraiser, visit the website.
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