Forgotten Harvest

Forgotten Harvest is a non-profit food rescue organization that collects food that would otherwise go to waste and delivers it free of charge to organizations feeding the hungry in Metro Detroit. In 2015, the nonprofit distributed more than 40 million pounds of food to more than 260 emergency food providers.[1]

Forgotten Harvest
MottoDriving Hunger From Our Community
Formation1990 (1990)
TypeNon-profit
HeadquartersOak Park, Michigan
Region served
Metro Detroit
CEO
Kirk Mayes
Main organ
Board of Directors
AffiliationsFeeding America
Budget
$77,220,713 [1]
Staff
71
Volunteers
14,700
Websitehttp://www.forgottenharvest.org

Forgotten Harvest is a member of Feeding America, the United States' umbrella organization for food banks and food rescue agencies.

Founder and history

Forgotten Harvest was founded in 1990 by Nancy Fishman. Susan Goodell became the organization's CEO in 2000, and under her leadership the amount of food delivered increased significantly:

  • 2001: 1.1 million pounds[2]
  • 2007: 8.6 million pounds[2]
  • 2011: 23 million pounds[3]
  • 2013: 43.9 million pounds[4]
  • 2014: 48.8 million pounds[5]

Forgotten Harvest was the first food rescue organization in the United States to form a rescue partnership with a grocery store, launching a program with Kroger in 1994.[2]

Operations

Forgotten Harvest operates a fleet of 33 refrigerated trucks that pick up surplus or unwanted food at health department-approved sources such as grocery stores, restaurants, stadiums, banquet facilities and other venues. It also works with local farmers to mobilize volunteers to harvest unwanted crops in their fields.[6]

Some major retailers and venues from which Forgotten Harvest collects food in Metro Detroit include Kroger, Costco, Meijer and Walmart stores, Comerica Park and The Henry Ford.[7]

Volunteers sort and repackage food at Forgotten Harvest's distribution center and trucks deliver the food free of charge to area nonprofit agencies that provide emergency food assistance in Metro Detroit.[8]

Forgotten Harvest Canada

In 2011, Forgotten Harvest created Forgotten Harvest Canada, a Windsor, Ontario-based food rescue agency based on Forgotten Harvest's model. In its first fiscal year it delivered 135,000 pounds of food[9] and in 2013, the organization announced that it had reached a milestone of delivering one million pounds of food since its founding. [10]

Forgotten Harvest Farms

In the spring of 2013, Forgotten Harvest launched a farming initiative, "Forgotten Harvest Farms," where it began growing its own food on donated farmland.[4] In October 2013, they announced an estimated 850,000 pound harvest in their first year, and the donation of $400,000 in farm equipment from Ram Truck, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture to support future growth in farm operations. [11]

Over the course of its first three years of operations, Forgotten Harvest Farms reported harvesting more than 3.1 million pounds of produce.[1]

Awards and recognition
  • In 2007, Forgotten Harvest was named the "Best-Managed Nonprofit in Metro Detroit" by Crain's Detroit Business.
  • In 2011, its President & CEO Susan Goodell received the Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award in the Shining Light Regional Cooperation Awards presented by the Detroit Free Press[12]
  • In 2012, Forgotten Harvest and ConAgra Foods shared a gold Edison Award for Green Programs for their "novel partnership between a food manufacturing plant and a food rescue resource to redirect perfectly good & edible, but historically discarded food from a landfill to feeding hungry people."[13]
  • In 2014, Forgotten Harvest received a Governor's Service Award from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder for "Outstanding Volunteer Program."[14]

References
  1. "Forgotten Harvest 2014-2015 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  2. Sherri Begin (December 27, 2007). "Unforgettable harvest: Our best-managed nonprofit is feeding more people for less". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  3. Laura Berman (April 27, 2012). "Hungry quietly try to get by with less". Detroit News. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  4. Sherri Welch (April 28, 2013). "Forgotten Harvest plants a new mission with large-scale farming". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  5. "Forgotten Harvest 2013-2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  6. Niraj Warikoo (September 29, 2013). "Make a Difference Day volunteers sought for Oct. 26 event at Forgotten Harvest". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  7. Sherri Welch (April 9, 2010). "Food banks add sites, partners to meet growing demand". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  8. "Health and wellness events: Support groups, fund-raisers and more". Detroit Free Press. October 6, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  9. "Forgotten Harvest Canada Delivers 135,000 Pounds of Food to Essex County Schools and Hunger Organizations". Essex Free Press. July 26, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  10. Dalson Chen (May 27, 2013). "Charity rescues a million pounds of fresh food for region". Windsor Star. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  11. "Forgotten Harvest Receives Record-Breaking Farm Equipment Donation from Ram Truck, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture". Reuters. Businesswire. October 9, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  12. Eric D. Lawrence (August 28, 2011). "Susan Goodell: Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  13. "2012 Edison Award Winners". Edison Awards. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  14. "Governor Snyder Honors Michigan Volunteers". Michigan Community Service Commission. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
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