Abound Food Care

Abound Food Care is a public-private organization dedicated to reducing food waste and addressing food insecurity by facilitating the safe donation of excess edible food. They collaborate with food generators such as restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, distributors, and growers to maximize the recovery of surplus food and ensure its distribution to those in need.

Founded in 2012 by Dr. Eric Handler*, then the Orange County Public Health Officer, and Mark Lowry, Director of the Orange County Food Bank, the organization began as Waste Not OC. Their mission was to capture edible food that would otherwise be wasted and redirect it to individuals in need, thereby combating hunger within the community. 

'Food Care
Food that passes through our hands, and those of our partners, is treated with respect and handled with care so that it maintains its high intrinsic value and fulfills its intended purpose: to feed people. We educate and support other organizations and individuals on how to do the same.

Impact
Every day we make decisions with an understanding of the short-term impact we have on people’s lives without losing sight of achieving our long-term goal of sparking a national movement that can take better care of our communities and planet.

Ingenuity
Solving the critical challenges we face requires a willingness to disrupt conventions of the past by considering new viewpoints, inspiring new ways of thinking, and creating new solutions that improve communities.

Connectivity
Our success is reliant on our ability to bring people together, both our own team and our partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors. We rely on all participants, look for commonalities to break down silos, and utilize people’s strengths to fill gaps.

Empathy
In addressing hunger and food insecurity we find value in serving others while showing respect and understanding for everyone we encounter. We not only provide solutions we are advocates for others.

Passion
We love what we do, understand the importance of our mission, and are motivated by the enjoyment that comes from the results and impact. We work together through obstacles and celebrate our shared accomplishments along the way.

Accountability
Each one of us is responsible for our actions, effective use of time, and our results. We honor our commitments, both as a team and as individuals, with timely and quality deliverables. We are proactive with open and honest communications to those that are relying on us.' (www.aboundfoodcare.org/about/)

Abound Food Care TeamAbound Food Care 

Today, Abound Food Care has expanded its focus to build a national movement that unites nonprofit, public, and private partners in the fight against food waste and hunger. The organization emphasizes the concept of "Food Care," which involves the active and passionate protection of food, its processes, cost, and impact.

Abound Food Care offers a range of solutions tailored to different sectors:

•    Food Generators: The organization assists entities such as restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, distributors, and growers in safely donating excess edible food. By identifying qualified partners, aiding in contract processes, and providing tracking and reporting systems, Abound Food Care ensures food safety, supports community impact, and helps donors gain cost and tax benefits. 

•    Jurisdictions: By mapping and connecting all food recovery organizations within a specific area, Abound Food Care facilitates the efficient redistribution of edible food. Larger donations can be directed to Food Repurposing Kitchens, which utilize recovered products to create nutritious meals. 

•    Community Organizations: Through the integration of modern technology platforms, donations are logged and linked to nonprofits capable of quickly receiving and distributing food. Trained and equipped logistics providers handle the transportation, ensuring critical food safety components such as time and temperature are monitored. 

The organization's efforts are underscored by the staggering statistic that approximately 40% of all food in the United States is wasted annually. By promoting Food Care, Abound Food Care aims to feed all of America while protecting the environment. 

Their comprehensive approach addresses immediate hunger needs and contributes to environmental sustainability and the strengthening of community health. By reducing food waste, the organization helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and provides nutritious food to those facing food insecurity. To date, bound Food Care has worked with over 40 Jurisdictions assisting with the implementation of effective food care programs.

Abound Food Care exemplifies how collaborative efforts and innovative solutions can transform surplus food into a valuable resource for communities nationwide.

Find out more: www.aboundfoodcare.org

*While serving as the Public Health Officer of Orange County, Dr. Handler co-founded Waste Not OC, a food recovery initiative that later evolved into Abound Food Care. His goal was to reduce food insecurity by safely redistributing excess food from restaurants, grocery stores, and other food providers to those in need. Under his leadership, Waste Not OC became a national model for food recovery, and its impact grew significantly. Eventually, it rebranded as Abound Food Care to expand beyond Orange County and work on a larger scale.