The Feed

Published by: Nora Thomas

April is the month we celebrate our beautiful planet and focus our attention and actions on conservation. Lucky for us, there are so many Earth Month events happening in Colorado. Whether you’re a learner, a doer, or just want to get together and celebrate, there is something for you! We’ve gathered all the local events and broken them down so you can get involved in the way that works best for you.

• Check out Colorado’s beautiful local, state, and national parks. Earth Month isn’t only about taking action; it’s also about appreciating the incredible environment that we live in. Be sure to leave no trace!
• Visit our local nature centers, gardens, and zoos. Many of these have free days in honor of Earth Day. If not, when you pay to attend these, the cost helps support conservation efforts in your community.
  • If you need some inspiration, try out Denver Botanic Gardens, Butterfly Pavilion, Denver Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Bluff Nature Center, Downtown Aquarium, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, or Kingery Nature Center.

• April 18,  Earth Day Celebration at Four Mile, Denver
  • Visit Four Mile Historic Park for an Earth Day Celebration, including learning experiences, an earth-inspired indigenous dance performance, and free seed bombs and earthy crafts. Participate in service projects led by a local Girl Scout troop, and shop from eco-friendly local and indigenous vendors. Free with park admission, no registration required. 
• April 17-19, Party for our Planet, Denver Children’s Museum
  • Bring your kiddos to the Denver Children’s Museum for an all-day Earth Day celebration with interactive learning activities. All activities are included with museum tickets.
• April 18, Prelude: An Earth Day Film Experience, Denver
  • Gather for “film, storytelling, and community conversation rooted in Indigenous wisdom and care for the Earth”. Purchase tickets for the film at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre in Denver. 
• April 22, Denver Botanic Gardens: Chatfield Farms, Littleton
  • Visit Chatfield Farms between 9 am and 3 pm for free hands-on activities and education stations throughout the farm. Great for kids! Register in advance.
• April 25, Party for the Planet, Denver Downtown Aquarium
  • Head to the Downtown Aquarium to celebrate Earth’s biodiversity and learn how to take action to make a difference at Party for the Planet! This event is for adults and kids, featuring outdoor games, activities, exhibit talks, conservation tables, and animal appearances. All activities are included with the purchase of an aquarium ticket. 

• April 3, Bread to Beer Keg Tapping and Earth Month Party, Denver
  • Join We Don’t Waste and Odell Brewing Co. to tap our tasty Wheat Don’t Waste Ale, crafted with recovered bread from the amazing team at Rebel Bread. There will also be an Earth/Foodie spelling bee in celebration! This event starts at 6 pm at Odell Brewing Co. Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse & Pizzeria, 1625 Perry St, Denver, CO 80204. Free and no registration required!
• April 25, Adam’s County Earth Day Celebration, Westminster
  • The cities of Thornton, Westminster, Northglenn, Brighton, and Commerce City are coming together for a spectacular Earth Day celebration. Head to Westminster City Park Recreation Center from 10 am – 1 pm for “an EV Ride and Drive, music, free food, airbrush tattoos, educational exhibits, and many activities for kids”.
• May 2, Earth Day, Every Day Celebration, Lafayette 
  • Don’t miss Lafayette and Louisville’s annual Earth Day Celebration from 10 am – 2 pm. This event is fun for the whole family and features a kids’ concert, “meet the animals”, a sustainable makers market, nature celebration in the outdoor classroom, and so much more! Find out more about this and other Earth Month Events here.

• April 18, Poudre Watershed Clean Up and Celebration, Fort Collins 
  • Help the Poudre Watershed Coalition clean up the river from 9 am – 11 am, and then stick around for a celebration at Odell Brewing. Register for free here! 
• April 22, Birdhouse and Bat Box Habitat Building, Thornton 
  • Build nesting sites to support local wildlife with Thornton Parks and Rec from 10 am – 12 pm at Carpenter Park Fields. Sign up here!
• April 24, Earth Day Extravaganza, Wheat Ridge 
  • At Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge, volunteers will plant over 25 trees and perform trail resurfacing and maintenance (Ages 12+). Help Wheat Ridge maintain their status as a Tree City, USA! Register to volunteer in advance.
• April 25, South Platte Renew River Clean Up, Englewood
  • Help clean up the South Platte waterway with your community members. Register here! Plus, the City of Englewood is hosting its Earth Day celebration in the same location! Show up for the community cleanup, then join in for the celebration. 
  • If you can’t make it, you can clean up any area and use their virtual form to help track clean-up efforts!
• April 25, Arbor Day tree planting, Thornton
  • Head over to Woodglen/Brookshire Park to plant trees in celebration of Arbor Day! This event is free, and all materials will be provided. Register here! 
• April 25, Bear Creek Volunteer Project, Lakewood
  • Get your hands dirty and help out at Bear Creek Lake Park! Each year, volunteers assist staff with a project to help keep the park clean and beautiful. Free and lunch provided! Register here. 
• April 26, Great Global Clean-Up, Westminster
  • This large-scale trash cleanup is happening all over the world! Join in on the action with Westminster and Hyland Hills Parks and Rec. After the cleanup, there will be a volunteer celebration barbecue. Register here.
• Earth Day Trash Pickup, Denver
  • Head over to Bluff Nature Center to help clean up! This event has 4 sessions, available on April 18, 21, 23, and 25, so you can choose what fits your schedule best. Reserve your spot here. 
• Volunteer at We Don’t Waste!
  • We Don’t Waste rescues food that would have gone to the landfill and redistributes it to people in need in the Denver community. Support food waste reduction, carbon emission reduction, AND food access by distributing food at a mobile market or helping out at our food recovery hub. Volunteer opportunities are available all month long!

• Host an event with your neighbors and friends! Think…
  • Book/clothing/seed swap
  • Upcycling/Clothing mending party 
  • Neighborhood clean-up
  • Hike
  • Book club – Earth edition 
  • Bird house building 
  • Upcycled craft night

Finally, let this month inspire you to support your favorite organizations helping our planet. Even if you don’t have time to get involved this month, your support allows organizations to go further for the planet.

• Donate!
• Spread awareness on social media!
• Start a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
  • By the way, you can easily set one up for We Don’t Waste!

We hope you find a way to get involved this Earth Month! April is a great reminder to practice gratitude for our environment, connect with individuals and groups doing amazing work in the community, and give back to our planet.

Published by Nora Thomas

In the modern business world, values are important. Your employees, clients, and community are all paying attention to your actions, ethics, and how you give back to the community.

Corporate giving actually provides a host of benefits for the company, including employee wellness, brand loyalty, and company success. Plus, companies have a unique ability to support non-profit organizations and the greater community with their resources. 

Let’s dive into the specific benefits of corporate giving and how best to implement giving initiatives. 

Why Give Back as a Business?

Well, first of all, we need to understand Community Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). These are frameworks for measuring a company’s sustainability.

CSR is a business model in which companies commit to operating in ways that enhance society and the environment, rather than degrade them, while being transparent and accountable. CSR encompasses environmental, ethical, and financial responsibilities, as well as philanthropic endeavors. Companies practicing CSR make choices that benefit the environment and society, even when there is no immediate financial gain. 

ESG is a set of criteria used to evaluate a company’s impact on the planet, treatment of employees and community, and its direction and management. CSR is often more qualitative and demonstrates a general commitment to social and environmental causes, whereas ESG is often defined as more quantitative. For example, supporting initiatives that divert carbon emissions or plant trees can directly support ESG goals.

CSR and ESG are both at the center of all reasons to give back, as they are a positive signal to consumers, employees, investors, and the broader community.

Corporate giving programs are critical for promoting a positive company reputation. 

Consumers want to know that brands are supporting causes they care about. Charitable giving, authenticity, and transparency build trust and long-term loyalty from consumers. Even if your company doesn’t necessarily have a product for consumers, charitable giving boosts your company’s reputation in general for clients, employees, and the community at large. This principle event extends to investors, 73% of whom said that CSR initiatives contribute to their investment decisions (2019 Aflac Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility). Additionally, according to Zeno, consumers are 4x more likely to purchase from purpose-driven brands.

Charitable giving has incredible benefits for your employees’ well-being and company pride. It also provides great benefits to the company, such as improved employee retention and performance. 

Research conducted in 2015 by Good2Give found that workplace giving can promote an employee’s pride in themselves and their company, as well as their sense of community. Employees want to work for a company that prioritizes authentic giving, but they also want to work for one that offers opportunities to get involved. 

There are also more direct benefits. By donating, employees can trust that they are giving to a reputable organization when their company promotes it. Company campaigns also help individuals feel like they’re making a larger impact. Unlike with a single donation, employees know their gift is boosted by their team and employer. 

Volunteer activities also provide employees with opportunities to build personal and professional networks. Group volunteer efforts often help foster stronger office relationships and offer employees the opportunity to showcase their communication, leadership, and project management skills in new ways.

Providing giving programs in the workplace can help reinforce your company’s values and deeply engage employees in your mission. Employees who feel connected to the company’s values and mission are actually more likely to show dedication and motivation in the workplace. 

Just like corporate social responsibility can build a loyal consumer base, it also supports loyal employees and high employee retention. When a company supports giving initiatives, employees feel happy, perform better, and are more likely to stay in their role.

Corporate giving is essential for nonprofits! These groups rely on corporate and individual donors to carry out their mission. Additionally, corporations play a unique role because, through their partnership, they can raise awareness of the cause among large new audiences. Long-lasting, authentic relationships with community groups help more than one-time donations. 

And with that, the most obvious benefit to corporate giving is that it supports critical issues in your community! Whether you choose to support a specific campaign or just promote giving in general, your company is working to make your community a better place. 

There are so many ways to engage in corporate giving. As an employer, it’s important to offer different avenues for employees to engage in ways that best suit them. The more you promote giving back, the more your employees will engage, and the more your community connections will grow! 

Matching gifts are a great way to incentivize giving in the workplace and boost your impact. 84% of donors are more likely to give if their donation is matched, and 1 in every 3 will give more than they would have otherwise. To maximize participation in matching gift campaigns, set a donation goal, spread awareness about the campaign, and make participation instructions clear. 

Scroll down to see if your employer will match your donation!

With volunteer grants, companies can pledge to donate to a company based on the amount of time their employees volunteer. These are often called “Dollars for doers”. Volunteer grants encourage employees to volunteer because they know their efforts are boosted by a monetary contribution to the cause. 

In 2012, the CECP found that while over 60% of companies surveyed offered volunteer grants, less than 5% of employees participated. As an employer, be sure to advertise these volunteer grant programs and create efficient tracking programs to make the biggest impact. As an employee, ask your company if they already offer volunteer grants/dollars for doers or volunteer time off. They may just not advertise it!

Direct donations are the simplest way to make an impact! These are exactly as they sound. Companies directly donate funds that can be used flexibly within the organization. 

With direct grants, companies support a particular cause, campaign, or project. These are typically more rigid and come with guidelines for how the funds must be used.

In-kind donations are non-cash gifts of goods or services. Think of this like donating desktops to a school computer lab or a canned goods drive for a shelter. In-kind donations can help reduce financial burden for nonprofit groups and provide needed materials. As long as they are relevant to the organization, in-kind gifts can provide a great direct impact.

Payroll deductions are a simple, hands-off way to promote a culture of company giving. Companies can have employees elect to take a small amount from their paycheck and donate it to a nonprofit of their choice. This allows employees to give easily and regularly. Plus, payroll giving is great for non-profits because it is an ongoing, sustainable source of funds.

If you are a smaller company and worry that your giving looks small in comparison to industry giants, the good news is that consumers are paying attention to the bigger picture. Research from Harvard Business School (2025) shows that consumers favor companies that donate a larger percentage of their profits, even if the dollar amount is smaller. 

The last, and essential, piece is how you celebrate company giving! To promote continued charitable giving, employees need to see the positive impact of their work. Be sure to…

• Clearly advertise the purpose and impact of giving campaigns.
• Clearly indicate how to participate in giving programs.
• Celebrate employees for their participation and share milestones with the team. 

Whether you’re the head of the company and ready to do more or an employee campaigning for your company to have more giving opportunities in the workplace, here’s how to get the ball rolling:

• Start the conversation! Begin discussing corporate giving programs and community needs with your team. 
• Head up a giving committee. A committee will create a dedicated and organized space to research giving opportunities and create a plan. This also creates a space for passionate individuals to help develop ideas. 
• Survey employees to identify specific causes the team is interested in! Then, you can advocate for a giving program or volunteer event dedicated to the cause. 

Whether you have an active company-giving program in place or you’re starting one today, we would be honored if you included We Don’t Waste in your volunteer and donation efforts. Food insecurity is a massive problem in Colorado, and your support can make a difference in nourishing our community and protecting our planet.

For more giving opportunities and collaborations, please reach out!

In addition to all the giving opportunities listed above, we also love hosting staff volunteer events. Come join us for a morning of handing out fresh food, getting to know your neighbors, and making an impact in real time.

This Black History Month, we recognize the accomplishments of Black farmers throughout history and their incredible impact on agriculture today. Black farmers have made significant strides in agriculture, including expanding access to agricultural knowledge, promoting community-supported agriculture, and disseminating ecologically sound agricultural methods.

Today, there are many incredible individuals, farms, and organizations working to support Black farmers and increase food sovereignty that deserve our attention.

Black Americans have been a cornerstone of American agriculture. During the period of chattel slavery, from the 1600s through to the Civil War, American agriculture was powered primarily by Black Americans’ labor. After the Civil War, many Black Americans sought to continue farming independently, but postwar economic conditions and federal and state policies made this transition to economic independence an uphill battle for most. Sharecropping and tenant farming emerged as the answer to the illegality of slave labor. Both of these agreements involved working on farms with white landowners and were heavily exploitative toward the workers. These systems became a new form of economic slavery.

Many white landowners at the time found that tenant farming was not as profitable for them, and Black farmers were displaced to urban areas in search of new jobs. At this point, because it was too expensive for most freed people to purchase land individually, many Black farmers formed cooperatives to share resources, land, and knowledge. However, state and federal laws and employment discrimination remained barriers to the financial success of these groups. 

When westward expansion began in the late 1800s, white farmers moved west to claim free land under the federal government’s Homestead Act. Much of this land had been traditional and treaty-held land by Native Americans, but was illegally claimed by the federal government after the forced displacement of Native Americans into reservations, boarding schools, and western territories.

The federal government issued deeds and sold ownership rights to more than 270 million acres of land for nominal fees to primarily white families. While Black individuals were unable to take advantage of this opportunity, white landowners rapidly turned and sold their acreage at low prices, allowing Black farmers to buy up land they otherwise couldn’t afford.

At the peak of Black farmland ownership in 1920, 14% of all American farms were Black-owned. Given the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the expansion of economic, political, and civil equality protections across the US, we would expect this number to increase. So, why, according to the 2022 census, are only 1.3% of total US farms Black-owned?

The height of Black farm ownership coincided with a major shift in agricultural policy. The desperate economic conditions in the US in the 1920s required farmers to rely on government loans, subsidies, and credit to achieve financial stability. However, access to these governmental resources was not equitable.

Racism, discrimination, and poor oversight led to the inequitable denial of loans for Black farmers, failure to deliver timely loans, and failure to investigate claims from Black farmers by the USDA. To add to the hardship, Black Americans were much less likely to have access to the legal resources to fight this discrimination. Eventually, the debt accrued and land ownership was lost. 85% of Black-owned land was forfeited between 1920 and 1999. 

In 1997, a few individuals filed a class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on behalf of hundreds of Black farmers. They argued that Black farmers were discriminated against in receiving loans and assistance from 1981 to 1996. This case, Pigford v. Glickman, is the second-largest civil rights settlement case in US history. The courts declared a $1 billion settlement in 1999 and expanded reparations in 2011. Unfortunately, although the reparations may equal the amount lost at the time, the opportunity loss is much greater than the reparations can compensate for. The blocks to Black land ownership also block generational wealth development. According to Foodprint, “One estimate suggests that the total active farmland lost since 1920 has meant more than $326 billion in lost wealth for Black farmers and their families.”

Despite court rulings and increased organizational oversight, discrimination persists today. Data from 2022 indicate that 16% of direct loan applications from Black farmers were rejected, compared with 4% of applications from white farmers.

Despite numerous roadblocks to success, many remarkable Black farmers have paved the way for future generations to continue producing from the land. Black farmers are leaders in ecologically supportive agricultural methods, community support, and policy change. From changemakers at the very beginning of the Civil Rights movement, to current farm-owners and advocates, these feats deserve recognition.

1. Booker T. Washington

Today’s Black Farmers

According to 2022 census data, Black-owned farms account for 0.32% of the total U.S. farmland by acreage. There are fewer than 33,000 Black-owned farms. It is important to support the work of current Black farmers to advance future Black farmers. Not only are these farms working to advance justice and equity in agriculture, but they are also centered on practices that support the planet. 

Soul Fire Farm, led by Leah Penniman in New York state, is an “Afro-Indigenous-centered community farm and training center dedicated to uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.” Penniman’s farm is dedicated to honoring ancient wisdom, providing community resources and education, practicing regenerative agriculture, and improving food sovereignty. The farm is celebrated for its programs that support the growth of Black, Indigenous, and Latine growers. They aim to create a safe, supportive, and culturally relevant space for knowledge sharing and growth. 

Check out Leah Penniman’s book, Farming While Black.

2. Yes Farm

In America’s Gardening Capital, Philadelphia, PA, Soil Generation is a Black and women-owned organization working to protect land access. Their mission statement is: “ensure people of color regain community control of land and food, to secure access to the resources necessary to determine how the land is used, address community health concerns, grow food, and improve the environment”. In Philadelphia, gardeners continued to face developers purchasing and bulldozing their garden spaces. Soil Generation was established to protect access to land and the practice of growing one’s own food.

This important work occurs in Philadelphia, a city with a 20.3% poverty rate and a 42.4% Black population. Participants reported that, for many communities, gardens are not merely a hobby but a spiritual practice and an essential means of accessing healthy food. Soil Generation is a protest against gentrification and food insecurity, and a protest for community and food sovereignty.

Soil Generations’ efforts encompass advocacy, education, and policy work. In the past, they have held educational series, worked with the city council to protect gardeners and their land, created a Philadelphia Garden Data Collaborative, and developed the city’s first Urban Agriculture plan!

These examples are a few highlights of hundreds of stories of Black farmers reclaiming land across the United States. We invite you to continue exploring and learning.

• Donate to Black-owned farms and organizations supporting food justice for all and inclusive agricultural communities.
• Educate yourself on the history of discrimination in agriculture
  • Check out this reading list!
• Support organizations in your community! Volunteer and spread the word.
• Follow We Don’t Waste and other food justice organizations to stay up-to-date on food justice causes.

Published by: Nora Thomas

Today, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a champion of social justice who spent his life advocating for racial and economic equality. 

Dr. King believed in peaceful, non-violent protests in pursuit of justice. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by King, led to the outlawing of bus segregation in 1956. Dr. King later won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work. He worked tirelessly to end racial injustice and discrimination, and fought for broader ideals of equality and belonging. He acknowledged that equality cannot truly be achieved while poverty and hunger persist.

In 1957, along with several other activists, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. founded the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) to coordinate protests and unite the movement. This group planned many successful activist movements, including the Poor People’s Campaign. King and his colleagues organized a march, the Poor People’s Campaign, to advocate for economic equality. African Americans had gained the right to vote in 1965. However, King believed the economic barriers were too great to achieve true equality. They protested for jobs, fair wages, unemployment insurance, and education. 

Let us march on poverty until no American parent has to skip a meal so that their children may eat. March on poverty until no starved man walks the streets of our cities and towns in search of jobs that do not exist.

– Dr. King, at the end of the march from Selma to Montgomery, 1965

Poverty and food access are deeply intertwined, and Dr. King spoke out against the government policies and priorities that allowed hunger to persist. The Poor People’s campaign centered on economic injustice, and the idea that everyone has the right to a roof over their head, clothes on their body, and food in their belly. 

Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic necessities of life? There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is in human will.

We spend millions of dollars a day in our country to store surplus food…I know where we can store food free of charge – in the wrinkled stomachs of the millions of God’s children in Asia and Africa, in South America, and in our own nation who go to bed hungry at night.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, 1968, 38 days before the planned march. Despite this tragic event, the campaign persevered. Participants built a settlement on the National Mall in Washington DC, referred to as Resurrection City.

Demonstrators stayed on the Mall for 42 days, leaving only to make demands to government officials for economic justice. Their commitment to the cause never faltered, but they were ultimately removed by police when their permit expired. Although he didn’t live to see the impacts, the campaign started by Dr. King led to 200 counties qualifying for free surplus food distribution, and many federal agencies pledged to hire poor people to help run assistance programs. Furthermore, the presence of thousands in DC, despite the absence of their leader, demonstrated the inspiration that Dr. King had sparked in so many. 

Dr. King’s impacts continued far after his passing. At the SCLC, Reverend Ralph Abernathy stepped up to the role of president and visited the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) shortly after King’s assassination. Abernathy echoed King’s voice that hunger was a moral failure in a country as wealthy as the United States. This meeting laid the groundwork for many assistance programs that exist today, such as no-cost food stamps and free and reduced lunch for school children. 

Today, we also acknowledge that, 57 years after his passing, we are still far from the dream Dr. King imagined. 

Hunger and poverty persist in the United States, and both are deeply shaped by systemic racism. People of color continue to be disproportionately impacted. Based on the 2024 Household Food Security Report, 24.4% of Black households were food insecure, in comparison to the 13.7% national average, and the 10.1% reported by white households. For reference, Black people make up 14.4% of the total US population. Based on this data, Black families are more than twice as likely to experience food insecurity as white families. 

Food insecurity is often framed as an individual failure. Yet, as Dr. King emphasized in his speeches, systemic injustice plays a profound role. Not everyone is set up with the same opportunities in life, but everyone deserves the fundamental right to food. 

Food justice issues go beyond access, as well. In his meeting with the USDA, Abernathy argued for more support for farmers of color and criticized the government for rewarding large commercial farms. In 1920, Black-owned farms accounted for 15% of all farms. Now, they hold less than 2% of the total. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy carries on today in what he established for racial and economic equality. His story also inspires us to stand up for what’s right, pursue a world where all are equal, and do so peacefully. We admire the major feats of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and fellow activists, and we acknowledge that the fight isn’t over. 

Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.

-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

• Volunteer to support food access in your community. We Don’t Waste has plenty of opportunities for those in the Denver area. 
• Continue reading and learning. Click here to see our favorite social justice and food justice books. 
• Donate to the cause. Support organizations working towards social justice and food access.

Have you seen recent headlines urging you to add more superfoods, like kale and avocado, to your diet? Superfoods are heavily promoted for their health benefits, but not everyone has the chance to reap their rewards.

What is a superfood?

The word “superfood” has become common in our vocabulary; however, the definition can get a bit muddy because there is no scientifically based definition. Generally, a superfood is a nutrient-dense food that provides high levels of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that support health. 

Eating a variety of vitamins and minerals is important to support bodily functions, the immune system, strong bones, and hormone regulation. You also want your food to contain antioxidants, which protect your body from harmful compounds called free radicals. Free radicals are tiny molecules produced inside our bodies when we break down food or are exposed to toxic chemicals like smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells and cause numerous diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and cancers. When we eat naturally colorful fruits and vegetables, we absorb antioxidants that fight free radicals.

Superfood examples:

• Kimchi is known for its high probiotic content. These are good bacteria, or microbes, that help maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms in your body to support digestion, vitamin production, and overall bodily function. Kimchi also contains antioxidants.

• Turmeric has anti-inflammatory benefits from curcumin, a compound found in turmeric and other Curcuma longa species.

• Blueberries provide anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid. Flavonoids are natural plant compounds that create color in our foods and also provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Anthocyanins specifically lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and support cancer prevention. 
• Avocados provide heart-healthy fats, which can help lower LDL cholesterol and reduce inflammation in the body. Cholesterol is a type of lipid that helps with essential bodily functions, like cell membrane production, and has two types: LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein). LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad cholesterol” because it is associated with stroke and heart disease at high levels.
• Spinach and kale offer essential vitamins such as A, C, and K, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and iron. Spinach and kale both contain antioxidants and glucosinolates (sulfur-containing compounds), which have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. 
• Lentils, chia seeds, and tempeh provide fiber, protein, and important nutrients, supporting heart health and muscle preservation.

Adding superfoods and creating variety in your diet are critical to nourish your body, support balanced gut health, and ensure you get all the nutrients you need. Knowledge is only half the battle, and for many, access to these foods is the second hurdle.

Superfoods, with their trendy and marketable name, sell very well. Distributors can sell these at a high price due to increased market demand, making them available only to those who can afford them. But this ties in to a much greater issue. Neighborhoods around the country lack adequate access to fresh, nutritious foods, including superfoods. These are called food apartheid areas.

Food Apartheid

Food apartheid is a term coined by Karen Washington, a food justice advocate, that describes the systemic inequities in access to and affordability of nutritious food. This term is a more accurate reflection of the intentionality of food-scarce areas, as opposed to the commonly used “food desert”, which implies natural incidence.

Grocery stores choose to build new locations in areas with higher education and income rates. This results in other neighborhoods having very few or no grocery stores at all, and many fast-food restaurants or convenience stores.

Denver is not immune to food-apartheid areas, and it is important to be aware of the areas where food access is limited. This map illustrates how the socio-economic status of neighborhoods correlates with grocery store placement in Denver. The majority of large grocery stores are placed in areas with high or very high socio-economic status.

Transportation is also a key contributing factor to food access. Individuals in food apartheid areas may not have the luxury of personal transportation to a farther store or the time to spare to search for food in another neighborhood. Accessible public transportation can help increase food access, but buses are often too infrequent or sparse, especially in food apartheid areas, to provide adequate support.

In food apartheid areas, residents lack adequate food choices, which are essential in making educated decisions for a person’s own diet. Furthermore, limited access to nutritious food contributes to higher rates of obesity and other health issues simply because of the infrastructure placed, or not placed, in their neighborhoods. This does not mean that all individuals living in food apartheid areas will experience negative health outcomes; however, systemic patterns demonstrate a significant issue of inequity.

striving for food justice and food security

Food justice is when everyone has equal access to nutritious, affordable food and a seat at the table when it comes to fighting for their rights and fair treatment of food systems.

Someone with high food security has food in their fridge and does not have concerns about where their next meal will come from or whether they have enough food to eat. Someone with low food security may not have food in their fridge. At times, they may have disrupted eating patterns and may have to cut back on the amount or quality of their food. 

At We Don’t Waste, we believe everyone has the right to food access and would like to see everyone in a place where they can be categorized as food secure.

There should be no economic or geographical barriers to accessing nutritious food with positive health impacts. In our current food system, a person’s access to nutrition can be determined by their zipcode and systemic inequities. That is a clear issue.

Take Action

1. Educate yourself! Read up on food justice and food apartheid:
   • Black Food Geographies by Ashante M. Reese
   • Weighing In: Obesity, Food Justice, and the Limits of Capitalism by Julie Guthman
   • How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America by Priya Fielding-Singh, PhD
   • Check out more of our favorite food systems reads!
2. Support We Don’t Waste in our mission to increase food access.
   • We Don’t Waste provides rescued food to local non-profit organizations in the Denver area and hosts no-cost food markets, prioritizing neighborhoods with low food security.

Published by: Nora Thomas

The end of the year marks the beginning of the giving season. As holiday cheer spreads (and tax deadlines approach), individuals, companies, and organizations are choosing their favorite causes to give back to. 

For some, giving back can be daunting. Maybe you don’t know where to start, you want to make sure your donation goes to good use, or you feel like you can’t give enough to make a big difference. 

Whether big or small, every gift creates a ripple effect of good and works to better your community. To illustrate the butterfly effect, we will explore We Don’t Waste’s operations, use of donations, and the community impacts as a result of your support.

The Butterfly Effect 

The idea of the butterfly effect stems from Edward Lorenz’s work on Chaos Theory: “small changes to a complex system’s initial conditions can produce dramatically different outcomes.” Interestingly, Lorenz was a meteorologist studying weather changes. You may have heard of his famous idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could whip up a tornado in Texas. This fascinating concept has shifted in its use in popular culture. Now, when we refer to the butterfly effect, we are discussing how small actions can create large, lasting impacts. 

If you feel stuck when it comes to giving out of fear that your gift won’t be enough or be put to good use, think of the butterfly effect. Perceivably tiny actions can create radical impacts for your community. 

We Don’t Waste’s Operations

At We Don’t Waste, there are so many moving parts required for food to efficiently get to people in need. This is a combined effort of staff, food donors, nonprofit partners, and dedicated volunteers, and would not be possible without our generous donors. 

So, how exactly does food get distributed? Our team picks up food donations from grocery stores and other distributors in our fleet of trucks, then organizes and stores the goods in our Food Recovery Hub. Smaller donations are dropped off at our door, and volunteers also rescue food from local businesses through the WeRescue App. From there, food is distributed to nonprofit agency partners who serve food through programs like meal services, food pantries, walk-up groceries, and more. Food is also distributed through Mobile Food Markets, where participants can register to walk through and select their own food.

It takes a lot of time and effort for food to ultimately reach the plate of someone in need. As food prices rise and market attendance increases, it is even clearer how necessary this complex process is. Without this work, our neighbors would lose access to thousands of servings of food each week.

How Are Donations Utilized 

When We Don’t Waste receives donations, they support the operation of Mobile Food Markets, the truck fleet and food pickups, the education and outreach programs, and keep the lights running in the Food Recovery Hub.

Even if you feel like you don’t have much to give, a gift of $5 could give someone experiencing food insecurity peace of mind for an entire week. When you frame it that way, no gift is insignificant. 

How Can We See the Impact?

Food is essential, yet 1 in 8 Coloradans are experiencing food insecurity, with children and people of color disproportionately impacted. With the recent SNAP program reductions and worsening inflation, the proportion of food-insecure individuals in our state is rising. Food distribution, supported by your gift, can give families peace of mind, a sense of stability, and hope. 

Everyone deserves access to good, nutritious food. Without proper nutrition, mental health, physical health, and well-being are at risk. When children don’t have adequate access to food, it can be difficult to focus and perform well in school. Food insecurity can also compromise the immune system and increase cases of illness. This can cause individuals to miss school and work, setting them even further behind. We can help our neighbors to ensure this isn’t their reality.

We often hear stories from participants at Mobile Food Markets about how food supply helps their families. Let’s take a look at how food access is making a difference for our neighbors:

Gifts help We Don’t Waste provide more food and create a butterfly effect of positive impacts for our community. For someone like Rubi, accessing food at the mobile markets helps her support her baby and care for the families living with her. For someone like Tracie, saving money on food allows her to catch up on bills and stay financially afloat.

Maybe you’ve contributed to We Don’t Waste in the past, and you knew your gift was supporting food access. Did you know that it ripples much farther beyond that to support factors like financial stability, health, and performance at school or work?

How Does the Butterfly Effect Reach You?

When giving back, the butterfly effect causes a series of positive ripples in the community, but it also ripples back to you! Giving back is great for your community connection, your happiness, and your self-worth.

Studies show that giving to others promotes happiness. The brain has a natural reward system that activates when we give by connecting the parts of the brain associated with processing social information and feeling pleasure. Giving is also linked to the release of oxytocin in the brain, a hormone associated with trust, safety, and social connection. Individuals who give often report lowered stress and blood pressure levels, improving immune system function.

Giving back boosts self-esteem and purpose. It is also a way to interact with your community more deeply. Whether it is interacting with people you wouldn’t usually cross paths with, showing up for a new neighborhood, or supporting an organization you know is doing good work, you can strengthen community.

One “small” action can reach so many people in your community and make you feel good. Plus, when actions make us feel good, positive reinforcement pushes us to take that action again. So, the more you give back, the more you’ll want to! The more we all give back, the stronger our community gets.

We Don’t Waste would be honored if you chose to give to our organization this giving season. Your support helps feed our neighbors in need.

But, We Don’t Waste isn’t the only organization that needs support. The Urban Institute reported that ⅓ of all nonprofits experienced disruptions in government support in the first half of the year. With government funding decreased, many of our neighboring organizations doing critical work are struggling to keep their doors open. Look into your local organizations and consider giving back!

No matter how you choose to support, giving back in any way creates a butterfly effect of positivity in your community.

Published by Nora Thomas

If you feel like recent months have been filled with bad news, you’re not alone. With inflating prices and a tough job market, it can be hard to stay positive. We’re watching our neighbors struggle, and can even find ourselves struggling. 

The truth is that the news can give us all tunnel vision to negativity. Being mindful about how we absorb news and take care of ourselves can help ground us and bring some optimism back. Here are 7 ways we’ve found to bring hope when times are hard.

1. Take Social Media Breaks

53% of adults get their news from social media now, according to PEW research from September 2025. It’s at the tip of our fingers and can keep us informed without the need to sit down to watch a news segment or read the newspaper. However, news is then absorbed less intentionally. While quickly checking social media throughout our busy days, we are bombarded with doom-ridden headlines. In fact, research shows that “news-related social media posts using negative language are re-posted more, rewarding users who produce negative content” (Watson et al, 2024).

Researchers have found a direct correlation between the frequency of news consumption and emotional distress. On the contrary, the emotional distress correlation was not found with viewers who engaged with more traditional news sources. Social media is unique in the way that it promotes negative and dramatic headlines to get more views, clicks, and reposts.

Professionals argue that it’s important to practice “media dietary restrictions” when engaging with news. When things seem overwhelming, consider taking a break from social media,  reducing the amount of news that shows up on your feed, or engaging with news in a more traditional, intentional way. 

Routines are proven to create a sense of calm and reduce stress and anxiety. They create stability and predictability, which is especially helpful in times of uncertainty. Sticking to a routine takes a lot of decision-making out of the day and reduces variability that can cause stress. Doing this also allows us to use energy for bigger, more difficult decisions. Additionally, strong routines can create better eating and sleeping habits. This will improve overall health and thus the ability to respond to stressful news.

When developing a routine, start small with a few goals you’d like to meet. From there, you can adjust what isn’t working and add on. According to Mental Health America, a healthy routine should prioritize a nutrition-rich diet, exercise, and sleep. You won’t notice a change immediately, so make feasible changes, be flexible, and give yourself grace. Sticking to a routine is difficult at first, but it can make it much easier to deal with difficult or negative things that come up. 

3. Make Room For Big Feelings

When news feels doom-ridden, it is easy to shut down or push away negative feelings. This makes us feel better in the short term, but actually hurts in the long run. When big feelings go unaddressed, they can bubble up and intensify. Addressing feelings as they come up helps to process, build resilience, and develop emotional strength. Researchers found that individuals who accept their negative feelings experience fewer negative emotions when daily stressors arise. This is critical when things feel overwhelmingly negative. When hard things come up, it’s unnatural to force feelings down and continue with the day. Practice allowing yourself to process negative emotions with no judgment for any feelings that arise. Lean on friends and community groups and speak up about the things that matter to you.

4. Make Time For The People And Things That You Love

Keeping up with life while processing negative news can be completely exhausting. Even when it seems impossible, it is so important to make time for the people and things you love. Prioritizing these things will improve your mood, mental health, sense of community, and energy. 

Surround yourself with the people you love. This is your support system. When times get hard, it’s so important to be able to lean on one another and talk through it. Instead of festering in the negativity, talk it out and let some of it go. According to Psychology Today, spending time with a friend can boost confidence and self-esteem and lower stress. Being there for one another is also how we nurture our community. 

5. Find The Good

When things seem hopeless, it’s critical to remember that news companies benefit from sharing dramatic headlines because they get more attention. Just because it’s not in your daily news feed doesn’t mean there aren’t positive things happening. If there is a specific issue you care about, other people in your community are bound to care about this issue too! Matthew Price, psychology professor at the University of Vermont, says “to guard against patients becoming overwhelmed, and developing a sense of learned helplessness, psychologists can encourage them to become more proactive in healthy ways on the issues that matter to them.”

Look into the issues that matter to you, and find the good that people and organizations are already doing. Just knowing that people are working for good can boost a sense of hope, but this also opens up opportunities to get involved. 

6. Volunteer

Think of finding the good as step one, and volunteering as the follow-through. Not only does volunteering create a positive impact in the community, but it also has great benefits for the volunteer.

Research shows that volunteering improves general well-being and quality of life, especially for older adults. Participating in volunteer work regularly keeps your body and brain active and allows participants to find purpose, using their skills for things that matter to them. Furthermore, volunteering reduces stress and increases positive feelings, benefiting both physical and mental health. 

Volunteering also has positive social impacts. Engaging in volunteer work expands social networks and social skills and provides a strong sense of community. 

When things feel dark, volunteering can boost your sense of hope by showing you how many people in your community care. 

7. Give Back

Giving back in any form can improve health and happiness. There are scientifically proven benefits for the mind and body. Giving releases chemicals in the brain associated with good mood and sense of pleasure, including dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. Giving lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, a chemical associated with stress. Plus, giving provides a sense of agency, warms our hearts, and deepens our community connections. 

Giving back can look like so many different things. Donations make a huge difference to non-profit organizations, big or small. Volunteering, whether it’s once in a blue moon or every week, is also incredibly impactful.

You can still give back even if you don’t have time or money to spare! Consider contributing by starting conversations and spreading awareness about important issues or organizations. Giving back doesn’t need to be a grand action that saves the world! Expand your perspective and give back in small acts of kindness, like making a meal for a neighbor, holding the door open, or just spreading some positivity. Things like these will make you feel better and make your community stronger. 

Find optimism!

Finding your community and prioritizing things that make you happy can make a world of difference when it comes to dealing with negativity and maintaining optimism.

If you want to get involved in food access, We Don’t Waste always has opportunities available.

Published by Nora Thomas

As of September 20th, 2025, the USDA has terminated future Household Food Security Reports. This annual report was essential for tracking food insecurity, understanding who is impacted, informing policy, and providing grantmakers with pivotal information.

This is a big deal. Let’s unpack the lasting impacts that the report’s cancellation will have, and the ways that we can continue to expand and protect food access in its absence. 

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been conducting Household Food Insecurity Reports every year for the last 30 years. Beginning during the Clinton administration, the surveys were conducted with the goal of informing government food assistance eligibility and benefit allotments. 

Each December, the USDA gathered data on food insecurity through a supplemental survey conducted by the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, in addition to their population survey. Then, the USDA Economic Research Service analyzed the data.

The survey asked a wide range of questions about income, spending, food security, food anxiety, nutrition/balanced meals, and hunger, with a special focus on childhood food security.

Example of Questions from the 2023 Household Security Survey

On September 20th, 2025, the U.S. The Department of Agriculture announced the termination of future Household Food Security Reports, publishing this statement on their website:

“These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger. For 30 years, this study—initially created by the Clinton administration as a means to support the increase of SNAP eligibility and benefit allotments—failed to present anything more than subjective, liberal fodder. Trends in the prevalence of food insecurity have remained virtually unchanged, regardless of an over 87% increase in SNAP spending between 2019 – 2023.”

Experts disagree with these claims. Megan Lott, deputy director for the Healthy Eating Research program at Duke University, argues the report is not redundant because it is the most comprehensive data on food security that we have.

The argument that the report is political is also debated. Republican and Democratic presidents have conducted the food security report since its start in 1995. The survey did not serve partisan political agendas, but acted as a source of reliable information for all policymakers and grantors.

Finally, while the USDA claims that SNAP program costs have increased by 87% since 2019, food insecurity also rose by 3.5%. At this time, families struggled more than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lingering economic inflation. Again, this is a conservative percentage change, but it represents 12.2 million people. Additionally, participation in these programs increased during this time, indicating that spending increases were necessary.

USDA published chart illustrating SNAP spending and participation from 2000-2024.

Using the USDA’s public data supplement to this chart, evidence suggests that inflation-adjusted spending only increased by 60.8% between 2019 and 2023, not 87%. It is unclear how the USDA reached its calculation, but they could have used data without inflation adjustments or included private data. 

All in all, experts in the field are actively challenging the USDA’s statement that the report was “redundant, politicized, and subjective.” 

The report tracked food insecurity prevalence, as well as changes in food insecurity over time. This information helped government officials create effective policies to support food access and combat hunger.

The primary food assistance provided across the nation by the US government is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Each year, based on the data regarding food insecurity rates, the government could effectively expand eligibility and benefits for these programs. The data also allowed the government to track whether programs like these improved food security.

The termination of the report follows directly after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut 187 billion from the SNAP budget, which will cut food assistance for an estimated 4 million individuals. This means we won’t be able to see nationally-scaled data representing the impacts of the largest budget cut to SNAP in the program’s 61 year history. 

In order to make effective policies and target localities for programs, lawmakers need data on hunger prevalence and who is most impacted. The data, in turn, illustrates to policymakers whether certain laws positively or negatively impacted food security. While SNAP and WIC are the biggest examples by individual participation, this also includes practices like providing free meals in public schools, emergency food assistance programs, and more. The Household Food Security Report was the most comprehensive data source for food security in the United States.

“Without that data, we are flying blind, and we don’t know the impact.”

-Cyrus Fitzsimmons, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC)

Nonprofit organizations rely heavily on government grants to fund their efforts. For food-distributing nonprofits to receive grants, it is critical to provide concrete data and demonstrate the need for food assistance using the food security report. Nonprofits will likely struggle to secure the grants they need to support their food programs unless they have access to reputable, local surveys and data.

Nonprofits struggling to get necessary food program funding at the same time that the government is decreasing support for food assistance programs spells incoming disaster for our community.

USDA published graph illustrating household food security in 2023.

It is important to look at patterns in the data, as well. Food insecurity was also statistically significantly higher than the national average for households with children, households headed by a single parent, women living alone, households with Black and Hispanic householders, and households with income below 100% of the poverty level.

The racial gap in food insecurity is striking: 13.3% of households with a white household reference person experienced food insecurity, compared to 27.5% of households with a Black, non-Hispanic household reference person, and 26% of households with a Hispanic household reference person. Food insecurity is a systemic issue that disproportionally impacts communities of color. Without this data, these patterns are much more difficult to track, illustrate, and address through policy. 

Despite the USDA’s recent claim that “food security trends have remained virtually unchanged”, they also reported that “the 2023 prevalence of food insecurity (13.5 percent) was statistically significantly higher than the 2022 prevalence of 12.8 percent”. Looking at the data like this, it can be easy to minimize it. However, in the context of the US population size, that’s 2,800,000 more people who struggled to get meals on the table for their family. 

The data gathered and published in the annual household food security report are more than numbers. They represent real people, struggling to access food and get the nutrients they need. Without this report, hunger is not solved, but hidden. We must take action to protect food assistance efforts in the United States and fight food insecurity. There are a couple of ways we can do this. 

nonprofits

Nonprofits need your support, now more than ever. As federal funding is being cut, non-profits need supplemental funding to continue operating. Plus, as federal assistance is being cut, people are increasingly relying on nonprofits for support. Some nonprofits, like We Don’t Waste, work to improve food access in the community. Other nonprofits, like Hunger Free Colorado and the Colorado Health Institute, conduct local and statewide food surveys, which are especially important while the government is not reporting, because they help bridge the gap.

Policy

Advocate

Advocate for the Household Food Security Report! This data is essential. Contact your representatives and urge them to continue publishing data on food security. 

Published by Nora Thomas

The connections between food and health are undeniable and deeply complex. On a basic level, certain foods can affect different aspects of health. For example, a diagnosis of high blood pressure will likely lead a doctor to recommend decreased red meat consumption. And this makes sense because different foods give the body different nutrients to carry out essential functions. There are also profound connections between food insecurity and health. Although, typically, people think solely of hunger and malnutrition. What is fascinating is that food, and access to food, have a profound effect on the chances of facing chronic illness and how the body recovers.

DIET COMPOSITION AND HEALTH

First, let’s think about diet composition. What we eat is incredibly impactful on our health and immune system. Eating a varied and balanced diet can decrease the risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease, and other conditions. When food options are limited, diets often lack variation and nutrition. This causes food-insecure individuals to face a higher risk of developing chronic diseases.

Then, we can think about food as a tool for health and healing. Access to fresh, nutritious food impacts health and well-being in the short term, but it is also connected to long-term impacts such as major illnesses and health conditions. Diets are a critical tool because they can be modified to prevent chronic diseases and can also be changed once a condition develops to support symptom management. Utilizing food as a tool for your health is a privilege. It requires knowledge, time, and resources, and is extremely difficult when you don’t have as much choice in the foods you have access to.

FOOD INSECURITY IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN OVERALL HEALTH 

Food insecurity is not uncommon. USDA data from 2023 suggests that 13.5% of all households in the United States are experiencing food insecurity, and food insecurity disproportionally impacts people of color and lower socioeconomic status. New research shows that food insecurity is considered a significant socioeconomic factor in overall health and has been linked to higher risks of many chronic conditions. Additionally, food insecurity can lower overall health and mental health in many ways resulting in a decreased ability to respond to disease or illness. In this way, food insecurity creates a double-edged sword. 

In a 2017 study conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, researchers analyzed chronic illness and food security on a marginal scale. They examined 10 chronic illnesses including hypertension, coronary heart disease, hepatitis, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease. The findings indicate that food-insecure individuals are considered at higher risk for all 10 of these conditions, while low-income is only attributed to 3.

 Analyzing this data on a marginal scale illustrates that households categorized with very low food security had a 40% higher chance of facing chronic illness than households with high food security. Finally, they found that cancer prevalence increases as food security decreases. From this research, the USDA concluded a strong correlation between food security status and chronic health conditions. This research is remarkable because it changes the way that we think about socioeconomic conditions, like food insecurity and poverty, and can better inform assistance efforts.

Let’s shift the lens from illness prevalence to examine illness recovery and outcomes. A 2025 JAMA Health Forum study analyzed mortality rates for individuals with cancer. This analysis includes data from 5603 cancer survivors, over 10% of whom reported experiencing food insecurity. After adjusting for differences in sex, age, and preexisting conditions, the data indicate a 28% increased risk of all-cause mortality for individuals reporting food insecurity. For food-insecure individuals who did not utilize government food assistance, this number rose to 42% increased risk of cancer mortality and all-cause mortality. 

The researchers considered the complex reasons that food itself could contribute to cancer mortality: If food-insecure households lack access to “healthy foods”, like fresh fruits and vegetables, this could contribute to obesity, another factor that increases cancer risk. Another pathway could come from eating foods that cause exposure to carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) which are less commonly found in expensive foods. Finally, food insecurity is linked to financial strain, which means that individuals lacking food access are less likely to be able to afford quality health care or cancer care.

MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALING 

It’s also important to acknowledge that food insecurity greatly impacts mental health, a factor that deeply influences how an individual responds to and recovers from a condition. Individuals facing food insecurity often experience high levels of food anxiety. Worrying about where your next meal is going to come from, or if you are eating enough basic nutrients, are very real fears. For adults, this constant worry can impact overall mental health, and for children, it can actually impact their mental development as well. 

It’s clear how struggling with food insecurity impacts mental health on a situational level, but there is also a direct scientific explanation. It is important to eat a certain amount of nutrients each day because these nutrients provide the body with building blocks and energy so that it can carry out necessary functions. For example, “Insufficient protein can affect mood, cognition, and energy levels due to its impact on neurotransmitter production and nutrient deficiencies like low iron, leading to mood swings, cognitive decline, fatigue, and irritability” (Nourishing the Mind). Furthermore, poor nutrition, as well as stress, can weaken our immune systems and cause an imbalance in the gut microbiota. 

Food security clearly impacts mental health, from stress levels to cognitive function to general well-being. Unfortunately, decreased mental health also affects how our body responds to illness and chronic conditions. 

Studies indicate that higher levels of emotional well-being are beneficial for recovery and even survival. Evidence also supports a link between mental health, specifically depression and chronic illness. People with depression face challenges completing tasks that support their physical health. Depression can also cause bodily changes, like increased inflammation, reduced blood circulation, and increased heart rate, that can increase the risk of developing chronic illness. 

Acknowledging this relationship is important because it illustrates how the connections between food access, mental health, and health are much more complex than initially perceived.

Implications

One key finding of these studies is that food-insecure individuals who did not participate in food assistance were at a 50% greater risk of all-cause mortality than those who did. Furthermore, nearly half of all US adults experiencing food insecurity report not engaging in assistance programs. Assistance programs are so important to health, mental health, and recovery. In fact, one study found that for patients with cancer and food insecurity, access to food vouchers and food pantries in clinics was associated with increased treatment completion, food security, mental health, and quality of life. Acknowledging what barriers are present, whether it is a lack of knowledge about programs, misinformation, inaccessibility, or stigma, is critical to taking steps to improve the use of food assistance programs and ultimately improve food security and health in our communities. 

What Now? 

The goal of sharing these studies is to illuminate why increasing access to nutritious food is so important. These studies show the direct effect that food assistance has on health, reinforcing the positive impacts of rescuing and redistributing food. While these data highlight important trends, experiencing food insecurity does not predetermine someone’s health conditions and outcomes. Food insecurity is a temporary issue that can impact anyone, and gaining access to food can completely turn things around.

The good news is that research is already being done to find out the best way to increase food access! For example, for low-income neighborhoods that are not within walking distance of a store, the most impactful recovery effort is suspected to be walkable food pantries. Additionally, researchers emphasize using a multi-level approach when it comes to food assistance, considering the changes they could make on individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels, to make the strongest impact possible.

YOU can always make an impact!

1. Volunteer with We Don’t Waste! Our mobile food markets are a great way to get involved. You can help hand out nutritious food to your community and make a direct impact. If you’re not local, there are food rescue organizations all over the U.S. that need volunteers that you should check out.
2. Donate to We Don’t Waste. Your contributions help us to continue our efforts to increase food access and education in Denver. 
3. Stop the stigma! Treat everyone with the respect and kindness they deserve. Reducing the stigma helps people feel empowered to get the help they need.

Published by Nora Thomas

Understanding the decomposition process and how landfill food waste contributes to climate change 

You have probably heard that food decomposes slowly in a landfill, but do you know why? Let’s look into this muddy process to understand what happens to our food waste, how it returns to the soil, and why it is so important to divert food from the landfill. 

“Breaking Down” Decomposition:

Decomposition describes the gradual process by which raw organic materials break down into simpler substances. This process includes:

1. Fragmentation – Earthworms and other soil creatures break up material into smaller pieces. This is important because bacteria, which are essential to the decomposition process, can penetrate smaller surface areas more easily.
2. Leaching – Rainwater dissolves chemicals and nutrients from the organic matter into the soil. 
3. Mixing – Earthworms and soil organisms mix soil particles and organic materials.

Let’s break this down! Several conditions must be met for this process to occur, and many factors impact the rate of decomposition:

Oxygen

There are two main types of decomposition – anaerobic and aerobic. Aerobic decomposition occurs when oxygen is available. This includes most examples in nature, like a leaf decomposing on the surface of the forest floor. Contrastingly, anaerobic decomposition occurs in the absence of oxygen, typically underground or in compressed environments. This means that decomposers that require oxygen cannot support the process. Although anaerobic decomposition does occur in nature, aerobic decomposition is more common and much faster. 

Nutrients

Soil organisms break down complex nutrients and turn them into simpler substances, such as water, carbon dioxide, and bioavailable nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium. When the soil organisms die and decompose, these nutrients become available to other organisms. Without decomposers, plants would struggle to find available nitrogen, which they cannot grow and function without.

Temperature

Temperature is critical to the decomposition process, especially when it comes to decomposers. Some microorganisms prefer medium temperatures, around 50-113°F, and are present at the beginning of the process. These are called mesophiles. Thermophiles, on the other hand, prefer warmer temperatures around 113-158°F, and appear 5-10 days into the decomposition process. Mesophilic and thermophilic organisms are typically bacteria, archaea, or eukarya.

In general, cold temperatures slow decomposition, and warm temperatures speed up the process. High temperatures are also important because they inhibit weeds, diseases, and seeds, which pose threats to the process.

Moisture

Proper moisture is necessary to support microbial organisms that play a key role in decomposing the organic matter. On the other hand, if there is too much water, oxygen can be limited, which constricts the decomposition process.

Decomposers

While we can often see earthworms, the nearly invisible fungi, protozoa, and bacteria are also critical soil organisms that break down organic matter. They are found more in aerobic than anaerobic decomposition. Mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria start the process. Then, as the temperature lowers towards the end of the process, actinomycetes and fungi work on the outer surface.

What Happens When Our Food Goes to the Landfill?

Now that we’ve looked into how organic materials decompose in nature, we can understand how the decomposition process is different in a landfill environment. 

The food decomposition process is delayed in a landfill environment because the ideal conditions required for decomposition are not met. Primarily, landfills use bulldozers and compactors to fit as much waste as possible. This compaction limits oxygen and organism diversity, making aerobic decomposition impossible. 

Anaerobic decomposition is possible through organisms such as bacteria and archaea; however, it results in harmful greenhouse gas emissions. As these organisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, they release methane gas. Methane-producing microbes are not active when oxygen is present, which is why aerobic digestion is not as environmentally harmful. 

According to the EPA, methane makes up 11% of global carbon emissions and is over 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide, which means it has a much greater capacity to trap heat in the atmosphere. Food waste represents 24% of all municipal waste and accounts for 58% of all methane generated in landfills. This large release of potent greenhouse gas demonstrates that food decay in the landfill is a major contributor to climate change.  Finally, we generally underestimate how long it takes for our food waste to decay, and this process is further delayed in a landfill environment. For example, a head of lettuce may take 2-3 weeks to decompose in a compost bin, but take up to 25 years to fully decompose in a landfill. The difference is shocking!

Why Does This Matter?

According to the USDA, 30-40% of all food in the United States ends up in the landfill. Furthermore, in 2023, only 6.08% of all food and yard waste generated in the United States was composted. Out of all of the municipal solid waste generated in the US, 21.59% represents food, which is equivalent to 63.1 million tons. This means that 63.1 million tons of food are sitting in the landfill, taking up space, and producing greenhouse gases, when they could instead be undergoing the natural decomposition cycle and returning nutrients to the Earth. Understanding how much waste is produced is especially startling considering how many individuals are experiencing hunger and food insecurity.

These drastic statistics also serve as a reminder that food insecurity does not stem from a lack of food but rather unequal distribution and overwhelming waste. 

What Can We Do?

The answer is clear – we must divert as much food from the landfill as possible to decrease food waste and environmental impact, and increase food accessibility. 

The solution starts with preventing food waste by only buying and serving what you need. Before you throw food away, think about what you can do instead of sending it to the landfill! If the food is not spoiled, you can upcycle it or donate it. If that option is no longer viable, you can turn wasted food into animal feed. Although hopefully avoidable, the next step is composting. Following these steps should limit nearly all food waste from landfills.

We recommend following a food waste scale or food recovery hierarchy, like this one from the EPA: 

Understanding why food waste in the landfill is so harmful can better inform our actions. The amount of food sent to our landfills is shocking, especially considering the prevalence of food insecurity and the environmental harm caused by food in the landfill. Now that you understand the impact of your waste, ask yourself what you can do to reduce it!

Make an Impact:

1. Get Involved: Join our volunteer team here at We Don’t Waste to help redistribute food! 
2. Reduce waste in your home by making conscious shopping and food storage choices. 
3. Start Composting: Set up compost in your backyard or schedule a pickup service!
4. Stay Informed: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to learn more about food recovery and stay up-to-date on our latest events!