If You Have Leftover Food From Events, This Team Will Collect It And Give It To The Needy
What A Waste helps reduce food waste by donating it to the underprivileged.
By Tamara Jayne
Weddings, events, and parties often have large amounts of leftover food that go to waste
Malaysians throw out up to 16,688 tonnes of food daily – enough to feed 12 million people three times a day! And that number increases especially during festive seasons.
If you have surplus food from an event or party, you can consider contacting this Malaysian social enterprise that helps to reduce food waste!
What A Waste (WaW) salvages both perishable and dry food by giving them to those in need – all for a small fee to cover their logistic costs
Other than collecting leftovers from events, the team encourages restaurant owners, bakeries, hoteliers, food courts, cafes, buffet restaurants, mixed rice outlets, and anyone else with unsold food at the end of the day to reach out to them.
Following strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), the food is then collected and distributed to needy B40 communities
To ensure that the food is gifted to the most deserving recipients, WaW conducts online and face-to-face assessments when a receiver is recommended or reaches out to them.
Prior to any of that, in 2018, the team went door-to-door to meet with various vulnerable communities in Subang Jaya to ensure that food rescued will always have a beneficiary.
Any perishable food is collected and distributed immediately to ensure safe consumption.
Beyond just providing food aid, they also recommend jobs and customise business opportunities to improve the community's standard of living, especially single mothers.
To date, WaW has sent thousands of kilos of food to 10,000 families all over Klang Valley
They've been especially busy helping to get food to those who struggle to make ends meet amid this pandemic.
How does a food rescue mission work for events?
To avoid single-use plastic, WaW recycles all food containers from Malaysian households in advance.
Once the person in charge of the event notifies WaW, the team suits up with gloves, caps, and face masks to ensure that the whole process follows hygienic standards.
Without disturbing the event, the team enters, packs the food into containers, and transports them to the receiver's place. The recipients then transfer the collected food into their containers and plates.
Once they've done that, the team collects the food containers and washes them.
If you have extra food to donate, you can drop them an email at [email protected]
