Large Food Establishments and Food Rescue
I have mentioned in previous archives that executives from Little Caesars and Tim Hortons, each with over 2500 franchises, have been in contact with me regarding the mechanics of Food Rescue. Last week an Executive for Tim Hortons in New York called me and said that they were ready to do a trial run in New York, where they have 34 stores. It just so happens that we have a Chapter President, Lisa Wheeler, in Rochester New York, very close to some of the stores. Amazing.
I had given them a memo to study regarding what motivates Panera to have a corporate policy to give away their unused food at the end of the day. It juxtaposed 2 questions. 1) Is Panera Bread more kind hearted than everybody else in their industry? Or 2) Do they know something you don’t know or understand? I then went on to describe the Good Samaritan Laws, tax laws, and free advertising benefits that go along with the morally obvious portion of not throwing good food away. I also pointed out that Panera is a publicly traded company, and that they have to answer to shareholders for decisions they make, meaning that can’t put “good will” above the shareholder. Food donations as a company policy is in the best interest of the shareholder was the argument I made in the memo.
As much sense as these points make to me, I must say I didn’t hold out much hope that they could make an impact on such a large company, if for no other reason the number of minds that must be in accord to change any policy, however, seeing the response from Tim Hortons has opened my eyes to this little thing we have all been doing the past year together has the potential be the driving force toward sweeping change over time in ways that far exceed what we started out doing. I hope that you will be able to imagine with me what would happen if these 2 franchises alone actually developed corporate policies that to give away unused food, and also to be able to visualize the critical role each person played to even make it in the realm of possibility.
Seeing Food Rescue expand into other states, and seeing compelled people develop their chapters, in some cases like Jacksonville perhaps to a statewide level, is an incredible thing to see, but the net effect of all of it acting in concert together is the imagination of a good God on display for all to see.
February 27, 2009 at 10:40 pm
this is fantastic ! I am sitting in Panera’s in Tustin in Orange County, California… they are a wonderful company and more companies donating food to hungry people is a badly needed God Send … there are sooo many homeless and poor people here as well as in San Diego… (I just came from there)… poverty and hunger need to end in this country and world… it is clear that the reasons for poverty and hunger are attributable to greedy so and so’s who waste so many resources and want to keep all of the good stuff for themselves. ENOUGH !!!!
thank you for the wonderful job you are doing!
FYI, I have a dog travel blog at celiasue.wordpress.com where I also advocate for people to set up pet food banks in their communities… during these terrible economic times, people are leaving their pets abandoned in foreclosed homes, and people with pets who are poor need pet food as well as human food… thanks !
March 1, 2009 at 11:49 am
Thank your for your kind words Celia Sue. The question of why there is poverty and hunger in the world was one of the first questions I asked on this blog. I had a pastor tell me it was because of sin, yet Jesus goes out of his way to say that He is in the weak and the poor. I think we need to look very deeply into this issue, and when we do we may leave the issue with more questions than answers, but when we address it as Christ asks us to we walk away with a greater understanding of His purposes in the midst of the things we are dying to understand in our humanity, but unable to.