Almost every other day of the week, the doorbell rings at the back of the kitchen at Augustine House. Instead of food being delivered to the retirement residence on Ladner's Arthur Drive, however, it's getting picked up.
"Ever since starting here three years ago, I have been looking for places to donate our leftover perishable food instead of seeing it go to waste," says Gareth Jones, Augustine House's director of culinary services.
"As the perishable food arm of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank does not pick up in Ladner, we had to build new relationships to distribute our leftovers."
Volunteers from the South Delta Food Bank pick up leftover soup each Monday or Tuesday, while volunteers from Food on the Corner, which feeds the homeless of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, do likewise on Friday.
Independent volunteers pick up food throughout the week and distribute it to migrant farm workers, Luke15 House in Surrey and the Surrey Urban Mission.
"The additional soup we receive from Augustine House always helps as we have high demand, long lineups and often run short," says Herman Glockl, who founded Food on the Corner over 32 years ago.
In addition to the leftover casseroles, soups, buns and muffins being donated to support the hungry, Jones provides the overripe bananas to local baker Ray Beutel of Richlea Bakery who turns them into banana bread.
Bruised apples and pears are brought to a local horse stable and salmon skins and salmon trimmings from the freshly cut fillets for the residents go to a local dog with a taste only for salmon.
All other food waste goes into organic recycling bins for composting. "Serving those in need by donating food is not only an honour, but our responsibility as good corporate citizens," says Augustine House executive director Tanya Snow. "We hope that the small amounts we provide are making a difference."
Augustine House is a not-for-profit retirement residence providing independent and assisted living as well as residential care to approximately 150 seniors.
