Cincinnati, OH. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — There is a frightening hunger crisis in America today. There are 44 million people in the United States who do not have enough to eat. Thirteen million of them are children. Most of them do not know where or when their next meal will come from, and if you think not in my community, think again. Feeding America reports that in 100 percent of counties across the country, people go to bed hungry. Shockingly, however, 38 percent of all food in America sits unsold on shelves, is wasted in restaurants, and is thrown in the trash.
“She had seen her get off the bus and was looking for the child, who was too weak from hunger to walk up the steps and attend class. The child hadn’t eaten since Thursday. It was Monday, and I just thought, well, that’s just stupid. I can do something about that,” said Suzy DeYoung, chef and founder of La Soupe.
That’s when Suzy DeYoung, a chef for 40 years, decided to start La Soupe, a nonprofit organization that relies on rescued food.
“It’s been over-planted, over-produced, over-grown, but it’s perfectly fit for human consumption,” DeYoung explained.
Professional chefs from the Cincinnati area donate their time to prepare all kinds of dishes using food donated by local grocery stores, food manufacturers and restaurants.
“On average, 25,000 pounds of food per week, including fruits and vegetables, proteins, dry goods and dairy products,” said Jarred Beckman, shipping and receiving manager at La Soupe.
“We take what you have and make something delicious out of it,” explains Edward Wolfe, head chef at La Soupe.
Last year, La Soupe saved 1.3 million pounds of food from the landfill, creating 1.1 million meals. La Soupe supplies local food banks like Northern Kentucky University.
“Being able to offer these rescued foods to our students for free, at no cost to them or us, is a huge relief to them,” said Nick Blevin of Fuel at Northern Kentucky University.
They also help emergency shelters, schools and the elderly, delivering seven thousand medically prepared meals each year.
And now Suzy is developing a plan to help other cities across the country do the same.
“If you find something you’re really good at and then donate it, what you get back is a million times better than the financial reward,” DeYoung said.
La Soupe also takes damaged food that can’t be used and donates it to local pig and chicken farmers. They’ve also found a way to use freezer burn meat. They donate it to a local wildlife sanctuary – just a few more ways to keep food out of landfills. To learn more about the program and how to start one in your community, visit lasoupe.org.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, producer; Bob Walko, editor, Matt Goldschmidt, photographer
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