Food Security Lithuania Project #52098

500 t of food: saved from wasting, given to poor

by Maisto bankas

Summary

While 20 % of the Lithuanian population is struggling to afford a healthy diet, 393 000 tonnes of food get wasted every year. Lithuanian food bank "Maisto bankas" saves more than 6 000 tonnes every year, but there is so much more food to be saved. A new van added to our fleet of food-saving vans could save another 500 tonnes a year. Every contribution will be used towards purchasing the food-saver-van and saving consumable food from going to landfills. Let's make a change together!

$41,351
total goal

$21,319
remaining

276
donors

2
monthly donors

2
fundraisers

2
years

Challenge

Food is too precious to be wasted. Food production and supply take natural resources and cause damage to our planet by generating one-third of global GHG emissions. Every fifth person in Lithuania is struggling to have a nutritious meal every day. Our goal is to make sure that none of the surplus food is sent to landfills or used in any other way but to feed those in need. An additional minivan that collects surplus food is badly needed. Its main target will be food wasted at farming stage.

Solution

Research by the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture shows that 393 000 t of food are wasted annually, 65 000 - at the farming stage. All this food could substantially improve the lives of thousands in our country. With the current infrastructure, Lithuanian food bank is able to save more than 6000 t a year. We have been successful in targeting farmers, but it is crucial to increase our transportation capacity to save their surplus. The additional minivan will help save 500 -1000 t a year.

Long-Term Impact

The project will increase the amount of food we save annually by 500-1000 tonnes. This means: - more than a million meals a year; - almost 95 000 000 litters of freshwater, used to produce this amount of food, and more than 1500 tonnes of CO2, generated along the food supply chain, will not go in vain; - methane emission, that appears when food is rotting in landfills, will be prevented. Long-term impact: advancement of SDGs No 2 and No 12.3; damage to our planet diminished; more people fed.