Palmer Events Center
Missing Piece
RECEIVED Mon., March 9, 2015
Dear Editor,
I very much enjoy reading the Chronicle every week. I had particular interest in the Feb. 20 cover story, “Waste Not” by Robyn Ross [News]. It is a fabulous article, though it was missing a piece.
That piece is a long-term food outreach program initiated by a local organization named Les Dames d’Escoffier. As the Austin chapter president, I feel duty bound to share it with you. Les Dames d’Escoffier is an international organization, and was founded in Austin in 2003 by a group of culinary leaders; women who create support networks in our community to achieve excellence in food, beverage, and hospitality.
Pamela Nevarez-Fisher and Cathy Cochran-Lewis originated our primary community outreach program. The Saturday Food Run Program, now in its 10th year, is a volunteer program in our organization that partners with Whole Foods Market every Saturday morning to help feed the homeless. Two volunteers meet each Saturday, rain or shine, go through culls of produce and bakery items, and distribute them to Caritas and to Outreach Ministries at University United Methodist Church. It is a vital link to those organizations that, combined, feed well over 400 homeless and disadvantaged people and their families every Saturday, amounting to over 200,000 who have been fed by these efforts over the last decade.
While we aren’t originators of redistribution and rescuing food, we are very proud of our small grassroots program, and we love to see that other organizations are participating in not only feeding the hungry, but also taking responsibility for creating less waste. Today we continue to diligently serve the community through our outreach programming.
I very much enjoy reading the Chronicle every week. I had particular interest in the Feb. 20 cover story, “Waste Not” by Robyn Ross [News]. It is a fabulous article, though it was missing a piece.
That piece is a long-term food outreach program initiated by a local organization named Les Dames d’Escoffier. As the Austin chapter president, I feel duty bound to share it with you. Les Dames d’Escoffier is an international organization, and was founded in Austin in 2003 by a group of culinary leaders; women who create support networks in our community to achieve excellence in food, beverage, and hospitality.
Pamela Nevarez-Fisher and Cathy Cochran-Lewis originated our primary community outreach program. The Saturday Food Run Program, now in its 10th year, is a volunteer program in our organization that partners with Whole Foods Market every Saturday morning to help feed the homeless. Two volunteers meet each Saturday, rain or shine, go through culls of produce and bakery items, and distribute them to Caritas and to Outreach Ministries at University United Methodist Church. It is a vital link to those organizations that, combined, feed well over 400 homeless and disadvantaged people and their families every Saturday, amounting to over 200,000 who have been fed by these efforts over the last decade.
While we aren’t originators of redistribution and rescuing food, we are very proud of our small grassroots program, and we love to see that other organizations are participating in not only feeding the hungry, but also taking responsibility for creating less waste. Today we continue to diligently serve the community through our outreach programming.
Beth Vlasich Pav