A project to reduce emissions and food waste in Winnipeg by purchasing a refrigerated shipping container has passed the halfway mark of its $25,000 fundraising goal.
Jennifer MacRae, the food waste diversion manager with Climate Change Connections Manitoba, says they will use these storage containers as low-cost food storage units. According to MacRae, this will help tackle two significant challenges Winnipeggers are experiencing. The first is reducing emissions caused by decomposing food. She says the second and most important is redirecting food to meal programs across Winnipeg.
“In Manitoba alone, we have 380 service agencies that rely on donated food. And yet, they are in constant need, and they can’t keep up with the demand for food. Food security is an issue in Manitoba, and access to good, healthy food is an issue for Manitobans. And we’ve seen that the availability and access to food can be limited, at times, by supply chain issues.”
With rising food prices and economic instability, the need for food assistance is only increasing. The shipping containers would function as a centralized drop-off location, removing logistical hurdles that make donating difficult for larger donors, such as major grocery chains and food producers. For food banks and agencies, storage space is one of those hurdles.
Alyssa Wolfe, the city coordinator for Winnipeg and Selkirk at Leftovers, a food rescue program, says they’re already supporting 140 agencies in Winnipeg with an ongoing waitlist for organizations hoping to receive food. These refrigeration units available amongst Winnipeg organizations could ensure more food gets to the people who need it. “It’s mind-blowing the difference it could make.”
According to Wolfe, last year in Manitoba, Leftovers redirected over 600,000 pounds of food. She says community collaboration means less food would go to waste.
“There are a ton of huge producers in Manitoba with a ton of food, and we don’t know what they’re doing with that food right now. We can only assume it’s going to waste. So, this is that chance for them to have a central drop-off location. The biggest thing we want to highlight with this is we want to make it just as simple for a semi-truck full of food rather than taking it to a landfill. They have that drop-off spot that’s more central in the Winnipeg region rather than going out of town.”
In Manitoba, landfills are considered the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Across Canada, nearly 60 per cent of food is lost or wasted each year, with 32 per cent still being edible. MacRae says these shipping containers won’t solve the systemic issues that lead to food insecurity or climate change but will be a start in managing them. She says these same refrigerated containers are already seeing success in Manitoba’s second-largest city.
“It’s a solution working in Brandon right now with the Brandon Food Rescue Store. That’s an initiative that was spurred by the John Howard Society in Brandon. They’ve developed the solution there, and it’s working really well. It’s diverting up to 40,000 pounds of food a month that they’re able to rescue and get to those in need. And that’s reducing emissions by 500 tonnes a year.”
The total cost of launching the Manitoba Food Rescue and Emissions Reduction Project’s refrigerated shipping container is estimated at $25,000. This includes approximately $10,000 for the shipping container, with additional funds allocated for electrical installation and ongoing utility costs. MacRae adds they are collaborating with multiple organizations, including United Way, the Winnipeg Foundation, and the Leftovers Foundation, and the success of this project could pave the way for larger-scale implementation.
As they continue to raise funds for the initiative, MacRae says their next step will be finding a suitable and secure location to store these containers.
– Ryan Funk, U Multicultural
