Dumpster Divers Defense Fund
Meet Tony Moyer and Sam Troyer, brother-in-laws in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They’ve been dumpster diving for 10 months, collecting $1,000’s of good food and donating it to people in need. But in October they were arrested for dumpster diving at a CVS and charged with loitering and prowling at night as well as criminal trespassing.
The dumpster they were arrested at did not have a “no trespassing” sign posted, the gate was wide open, and the dumpster wasn’t locked. They weren't prowling, they weren't loitering, and they weren't trespassing and dumpster diving isn’t even illegal in Pennsylvania. Tony and Sam always leave the place cleaner than they found it when dumpster diving and neither of them have ever been in trouble with the law.
We want all charges against them dropped so they can go back to rescuing food and donating it to people in need! $165 billion worth of food is wasted each year in the USA. That’s enough to feed another entire American population yet 50 million americans are food insecure.
Inspired by Tony and Sam I’ve started the Dumpster Divers Defense Fund to help Food Waste Warriors if they get arrested or ticketed. The funds raised will cover Tony and Sams tickets if they aren't dropped but better yet will be used to help them start a food rescue program with grocery stores so that the food can be donated and not put in the dumpster in the first place.
This fund will also help to bring media attention to the issue of food waste and hunger, help dumpster divers in the future who get in trouble like Sam and Tony did, and help dumpster divers to start food rescue programs to keep food out of the dumpsters.
Please donate to the Dumpster Divers Defense Fund to help Tony and Sam and to bring a voice and power to people who are helping to feed people in need and fight food waste!
Press and questions can be directed to www.RobGreenfield.tv/contact
UPDATE 02/02/2017:
We’ve got good news!
Thanks to incredible support from all of YOU the charges against Tony and Sam have been dropped! Because of strong public pressure the charges were dropped without even going to court which means we didn’t spend a single penny on defense. This means that all of the funds we raised can be used to help establish food rescue programs, defend future divers who may get arrested, and bring more attention to the issues of food waste and hunger!
The story spread nationwide through media outlets including NPR, Washington Post, and NowThis and this absolute victory has set a precedent for anyone possibly arrested for dumpster diving for food in the future! 100s of thousands of people raised their voices, shared our story, and contacted CVS and the court in Pennsylvania and there is no doubt that this was dropped because of public pressure. This was an example of the police preying on innocent people with only a small voice. All too often they can take advantage of innocent people, knowing that they won’t be able to defend themselves. But together our small voices made one huge voice that overpowered and prevailed.
Now we can focus on the real crime at hand, stores throwing away huge quantities of perfectly good food every day while millions of Americans are hungry. Tony and Sam are now starting their own food rescue program and establishing relationships with stores to help them donate this food to local charities instead of dumping it in the first place. Grocery stores, restaurants, caters, etc. that donate food to nonprofits are protected from liability by the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act and a University of Arkansas School of Law study shows that not a single retailer has ever been sued after donating food to a nonprofit. Thousands of food rescue programs exist across the USA. The means are out there for stores that truly want to do the right thing and #DonateNotDump.
Thank you all so much for your support. This is a victory on all fronts and we could not have done it without each and every one of your support!
The good guys have won this time and now have a bigger voice than ever! Share the good news!