Rescuing Food & Nourishing Our Community

At Flagstaff Family Food Center, we believe food should feed people, not landfills. Last year, our Grocery Rescue and Food for Farms programs did just that! Rescuing food kept more than 1.1 million pounds of food from ending up in the City of Flagstaff’s landfill.

Rescuing Food with Grocery Rescue

Led by Senior Warehouse Manager Luke Lasiloo and Assistant Warehouse Manager Jason Ibe, the Grocery Rescue program operates every day, with a staff member and a volunteer collecting food from local grocery stores and restaurants, such as Sam’s Club, Safeway, Bashas, Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

About 60% of what we collect is fresh produce such as leafy greens and seasonal fruits. The rest is frozen food, dry goods, and baked items, donated while still well within the sell-by date.

“A lot of the fresh food are items that are edible, but not perfectly pristine, like a piece of fruit with a bruise,” said Luke. “Many of the items are donated because the store needs more shelf room for incoming items.”

Rescued food makes its way into our food boxes, our kitchen, and partner agencies. Special holiday items are set aside for our agency partners, while larger bulk donations (like Sam’s Club pies or big batches of bread) help stock our kitchen.

Eliminating Waste with the Farm Food Program

Items past their prime or too damaged are diverted to our Farm Food Program instead of the trash. Items past their prime or too damaged are diverted to our Farm Food Program instead of the trash.

Last year, 275,000 pounds of food unfit for human consumption was sent to local farms and organizations (including some very happy pigs in Ash Fork) and FFFC is working to expand this program.

These programs are proof of what’s possible when our community comes together. By rescuing food, we’re feeding families, supporting local farms, and caring for our planet — one banana, one loaf of bread, one pie at a time.