In November, Veggie Rescue launched a pilot program for a prepared food recovery effort, she said. In 2016, she told Noozhawk that her organization’s goal is simple: “We want to feed fresh, local food to our community.”ĭerryberry outlined the process by which Veggie Rescue came to team up with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to collect unconsumed food - both warm and cold - from the casino’s buffet lines three times each week for delivery to the Buellton Senior Center.
Since its launch nearly eight years ago, Veggie Rescue has delivered slightly less than 1 million pounds of food, according to executive director Amy Derryberry. The Santa Ynez Valley Fruit & Vegetable Rescue, aka Veggie Rescue, is based in the Santa Ynez Valley but works throughout the county to glean excess produce from commercial farms, orchards and backyard gardens for delivery to needy families and schoolchildren. Santa Barbara Wedding Bliss: Your Complete GuideĪs national and global agencies spotlight food waste, a Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization has been working behind the scenes since November to relocate leftover food from buffet lines to hungry senior citizens.