Climate Change Connection is Proud to Support the Leftovers Foundation!

Food brings us together, fuels us, nourishes us, and is a source of comfort and celebration. Food is sacred, yet, in Canada, because of its abundance and our consumer culture, good food is wasted. 

Climate Change Connection is proud to support the Leftovers Foundation in redistributing food to those in need and diverting it from landfill, as food waste is both a social and environmental crisis. The need for food continues to grow but so does the waste in our landfills half of which is food waste. 

Food insecurity contributes to mental and physical health issues, straining our healthcare system. A report by Statistics Canada indicates Manitoba household food insecurity is on the rise from 14% prior to the pandemic, to 17.8% in 2021, and food insecurity continues to intensify because of rising inflation. 

The work the Leftovers Foundation is doing is an important step in addressing climate change. Food that ends up in landfill creates methane gas – which is 25x more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide.

According to the National Zero Waste Council, Canadians throw out a quarter of our fresh food and release about 21 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses per year just in food waste; the equivalent of more than 2 million cars on the road. 

Food loss and waste happen at all levels of our food system, while consumers play an important role in reducing food waste, 79% of avoidable food waste actually occurs in the food industry – like in restaurants and grocery stores. This is where the Leftovers Foundation plays a critical role in our local food systems. Redistributing food to local service agencies so that people who are hungry have good food to eat is a dual-purpose solution.

Climate Change signed on to volunteer with the Leftovers Foundation app, Rescue Food, and the process was super easy! You simply download the app on your phone, and sign up for the available routes to pick up and drop off the food. It’s so simple, you choose when, where, and how often you can volunteer. You can see the schedule of dedicated routes weeks in advance to work it in around your busy schedule, it’s so convenient. 

Everytime we volunteered we had a full car load and we couldn’t believe the quality of the food; this wasn’t “Leftovers.” Rather whole pieces of salmon, chicken, steak, milk and dairy, deli items, bread, veggies, fruit, even snack items, stuff we’d actually be more than happy to eat ourselves! We felt proud delivering it to others. We logged the weight of the car load of food, and ensured the temperature was checked upon receipt and delivery. All said and done, the route only took 20 – 30 minutes of time, and we met so many friendly faces along the way. A truly rewarding experience. 

While Leftovers operates in Edmonton, and Calgary, they are still relatively new to Winnipeg. In Winnipeg, the whole system is made possible by the efforts of just one dedicated lead coordinator Julia Kraemer, along with a team of wonderful volunteers. 

Kraemer, whose friendly nature and compassion for others is contagious, explained they’d like to see their efforts in Winnipeg expand, but more support is needed.

Kraemer advocates that while rescuing food will never fully address food insecurity, support for the Leftovers is important. Individuals can be part of the solution, not just by volunteering to deliver food, but by thinking about their food choices too, and planning out their meals. As well as educating themselves on what is truly a best before date; as many best before dates have nothing to do with food perishability but rather reflect the date by which the item should be sold by. 

Climate Change Connection looks forward to continuing to volunteer, and helping the Leftovers program grow. We hope to encourage others to help them do so as well. Let’s help the Leftovers get good food to those in need and stop filling our landfills with needless waste.

You can learn more about Climate Change Connection at climatechangeconnection.org

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Kin Volunteer

We’re currently recruiting volunteers who want to help serve coffee and be a part of a fun new social initiative.

  • Volunteer shifts are 4 hours long
  • Shifts are either 7am-11am or 11am-3pm
  • 2 people are needed per shift, so sign up with your partner or a friend
  • You can volunteer as little or as much as you’d like
  • Sign-ups will be live on the Leftovers Rescue Food app soon

There will be a mandatory in-person training for all new Kin volunteers. This training will be brief, but will go over setup & tear down, food safety, POS terminal instruction and PWYW info.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please send an email to [email protected] expressing which shift and dates you’re interested in covering.

*Please note that all Kin volunteers need to be vaccinated as per YMCA and AHS Covid Policy.*

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Friday, September 30th

Today we are observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We encourage you to read the 94 Calls to Action and commit to working towards at least one of them.

You can also donate to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

COVID-19 Guidelines - Growers

Hello Growers,
THANK YOU for your commitment to reducing food waste and helping those experiencing food insecurity!
Below are some COVID guidelines to keep in mind when requesting a harvest:
  • CANCEL YOUR HARVEST REQUEST if you and/or someone that you have been in contact with is not feeling well, has travelled within 14 days, has been in close contact with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus, or are awaiting test results.
  • If you choose to keep some of the harvested food, please WASH IT BEFORE CONSUMING.
  • Please avoid contact with harvest volunteers. If you do interact with them in person, please ensure you MAINTAIN PHYSICAL DISTANCE AND WEAR A MASK
If you have any questions at all, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your help and willingness to be there for our community!

COVID-19 Guidelines

Hello Volunteers,
THANK YOU for your commitment to reducing food waste and helping those experiencing food insecurity!
Below are some COVID guidelines to keep in mind while harvesting on behalf of Home Harvest:
  • You must SIGN A WAIVER prior to attending a harvest
  • Volunteers who sign up in the app must keep a record of everyone who attends each harvest with them so that they can be notified if needed for contact-tracing purposes
  • Please WEAR A MASK throughout the harvest and WASH YOUR HANDS/USE HAND SANITIZER before and after the harvest (and during, if necessary). Contact [email protected] if you’d like a reusable mask.
  • PHYSICAL DISTANCING MUST BE PRACTICED AT ALL TIMES. Please ensure you maintain physical distance from individuals not in your cohort, including other harvest volunteers and growers. 
  • DO NOT HARVEST FOOD if you and/or someone that you have been in close contact with is not feeling well, has travelled within 14 days, has been in contact with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus, or are awaiting test results.
  • SANITIZE SURFACES you come in contact with (fences, gates, tools, equipment) before and after the harvest.
  • LEAVE NO TRACE. Please take home any sanitizing equipment, masks and garbage created throughout the pick. 
  • Practice NO CONTACT DROP OFFS at agencies (ensure that the food is in a safe/covered area).
  • Bags or boxes that you are using to contain/transport the harvested food do not need to be sterilized, but please ensure they are clean.
Please Note: Volunteers are not responsible for washing fruit before donation to charities. Charities that accept fruit donations will be responsible for fruit washing before food preparation and/or eating.
If you have any questions at all, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your help and willingness to be there for our community!
Hello Growers,
THANK YOU for your commitment to reducing food waste and helping those experiencing food insecurity!
Below are some COVID guidelines to keep in mind when requesting a harvest:
  • CANCEL YOUR HARVEST REQUEST if you and/or someone that you have been in contact with is not feeling well, has travelled within 14 days, has been in close contact with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus, or are awaiting test results.
  • If you choose to keep some of the harvested food, please WASH IT BEFORE CONSUMING.
  • Please avoid contact with harvest volunteers. If you do interact with them in person, please ensure you MAINTAIN PHYSICAL DISTANCE AND WEAR A MASK
If you have any questions at all, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your help and willingness to be there for our community!

COVID-19 Update

Hello Leftovers Partners and Volunteers,

Your commitment to reducing food waste and increasing food access in our community is so incredibly valued – THANK YOU!

Due to COVID-19, many businesses are temporarily shutting their doors and cancelling events. As a result, we have seen a significant change in the frequency and volume of donations. At the same time, access to food has never been more difficult for many members of our community. Whether it’s students who have been isolated from their only meals of the day, seniors who are at-risk every time they leave home, or the many who have recently lost their jobs due to this crisis, we are seeing an unprecedented need for access to food.

  • Please ensure that all donations are covered/wrapped.
  • Please wear a mask and wash your hands/use sanitizer frequently when handling food donations. Do not touch the food itself. Contact [email protected] if you’d like a reuseable mask.
  • Practice no-contact drop offs at agencies (ensure that the food is in a safe/covered area).
  • Do not rescue food if you and/or someone that you have been in contact with is not feeling well, has travelled within 14 days, or been in contact with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus.

We are posting changes/cancellations to food donation routes on the app as they come in. All routes that are posted on the app are as up-to-date as possible. If a donor or agency tells you they’d like to cancel or change hours, please email this feedback to [email protected] (Calgary), [email protected] (Edmonton) or [email protected] (Winnipeg) so we can update the app.

If you have any questions at all, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your help and willingness to be there for our community!