Help FoodCommune Eliminate Food Waste!

Please help us equip our new permanent space!

FoodCommune has been growing steadily, increasing the amounts of food that we are rescuing throughout Atlanta.

 

FoodCommune is a freegan co-op. Our mission is to rescue good food from grocery stores, food pantries, farmer's markets, restaurants, bakeries, events, etc. that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill and get it directly into the homes of Atlanta families.

 

How do we do this? FoodCommune volunteers coordinate with people and organizations to get the food, provide a venue for distribution, and prepare the food for people to take home.

 

The success of FoodCommune is a win-win situation for the environment AND for people. Good food gets diverted from landfills and distributed at a lower cost than it does when it goes through the food distribution cycle. Being a volunteer-run co-op means that we don’t have to charge grocery store prices, but instead ask for donations at about 80% less than retail prices. These savings are passed on to everyone who gets their groceries at FoodCommune!

 

So, how do we rescue MORE food and reach MORE people?

Permanent building for people to shop in

More storage space

Walk-in refrigerators and freezers

Regular and refrigerated box trucks for transporting food

This equipment will allow us to vastly expand our food rescue operations and feed more people in Atlanta.

Your contributions toward this campaign will go toward fulfilling our whole potential at our new permanent location!

Expanded hours!

Pop-ups throughout the week!

Better shopping experience!

Extensive storage for refrigerated and frozen foods!

Greater food selection, since we won't have to turn away shipments!

Help bring on the the next phase for FoodCommune!!

 

Q&A

 

Q1. “But… you get the food for FREE. What do you need money for?”

 

Freeganism is the heart and mission of our organization. We are a freegan food co-op: we rescue food then share it among our participating members. Members themselves also share in the costs of getting the food rescued and distributed: the costs of locating, picking up, unboxing, sorting, preparing, loading, transporting, storing, refrigerating/freezing, displaying, etc. the food. Running a food rescue organization is far from free! We are a co-op (self-supporting) rather than a charity (externally-funded). Current operating costs for FoodCommune total approximately $30,000 annually. If you're curious about the details, you can see the full 2021 budget workup here: https://www.foodcommune.org/financial-transparency. In short: last year FoodCommune made $81.02 net profit and Pam made 30 cents/hour.

 

Q2. "Why is so much food being wasted in this country?"

 

In a word: Overproduction. We have a massive overproduction of food in this country. 40% of food produced in the US is not eaten. Companies, concerned mainly with their profit margins, are generally NOT motivated to address the problem of food waste. Companies are unwilling to reduce profit margins by cutting back their production or by handling their excesses responsibly. Neither is our government stepping in to address this problem of food waste. The result? Food keeps being overproduced, and the resulting excesses keep NOT being handled responsibly. Meanwhile, over 49 million Americans live in food-insecure households. The environment and our society continue to suffer. As long as the root problem of overproduction continues, FoodCommune can help mitigate its damaging consequences by getting excess food diverted from landfills to people.

 

Q3. "What will you do with your funds ?"

First of all, that would be a dream come true. Second, any donations that we receive in any calendar year above the base operating costs of approximately $30,000 annually will be spent on expanding our operation, i.e., expanding our ability to rescue food in Atlanta.

Future Goals for FoodCommune:

 

1. Steel building (new construction) 40x50 = 2,000 sq ft.

$ 30,000 -- concrete pad.

$ 70,000 -- steel building -- shell, with full vinyl-backed 2" fiberglass insulation throughout: R-14.

$ 10,000 -- labor for construction.

$ 10,000 -- doors & windows.

$ 20,000 -- interior buildout.

$ 10,000 -- HVAC.

$ 10,000 -- electrical.

$ 10,000 -- plumbing.

2. Storage shed - $40,000

 

2. 26ft reefer truck to transport cold foods - $84,375 to buy it, then run it for 1 year.

 $50,000 initial purchase price.

+

$27,375 gas to run it -- 1st year.

($75 a day running diesel fuel. 75 x 365 = 27,375 )

+

$5,000 insurance -- 1st year.

+

$2,000 repair/maintenance costs -- 1st year.

 

3. Equipping our new space with walk-in refrigerators (2) and freezers (2): $60,000

Q5. I want to donate, but what is Feeding Georgia Families?

FoodCommune operates under fiscal sponsorship of Feeding GA Families, a registered 501c3 nonprofit.

 

Q6. “Why doesn’t FoodCommune just apply for grants?”

 

FoodCommune has applied for many grants and has been rejected countless times because of our unconventional model. Unfortunately, grants aren't just given to those in need, even if they are providing a service; rather, grants are aligned with specific goals determined by the entity giving the funds.

 

 

Every single one of you who comes out to FoodCommune to get food, donate, volunteer, spread the word- YOU are an invaluable part of our small, local co-op. We are calling on your financial support to help us acquire this storage shed and fulfill the next step in our mission.

 

Thank you for helping reduce food waste in Atlanta!!