DMV Food Recovery Week Recap

Manna Food Center’s Community Food Rescue (CFR) and the DC Food Recovery Working Group (DCFRWG) combined forces in October to co-host DMV Food Recovery Week. The week’s engaging and enlightening free and mostly virtual events—everything from food preservation to at-home composting—and improvisational cooking office hours were aimed at helping individuals and our community become more resilient. If you missed any of the virtual sessions, most were recorded and can be found at: www.dmvfoodrecoveryweek.org. Sessions offered easy things you can do at home – and ways to support community efforts – to reduce food waste and increase food security for all.

Two hundred people participated in the week’s events. Seventy-seven percent of the attendees were there out of personal interest and the rest had a professional interest. While most attendees lived or worked in the DMV, we even had some from out of area, thanks to virtual viewing.

The one in-person event of the week was a tour of Red Wiggler Community Farm, one of our long-standing CFR network members and very generous food donor. Feedback from a post-event survey showed that attendees thought the events provided valuable learning. We received comments letting us know that the sessions were informative, practical, and fun! One respondent wrote, “Happy to see that so many are involved in the area in this critical need for those in need of help.” The most requested topics to explore again next year were food preservation, food security and recovery policy, and reducing food waste at home.

Thanks to our event hosts: The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, Food Recovery Network, Food Rescue US, Prince William Food Rescue, Eat or Toss, Virginia Cooperative Extension, World Wildlife Fund, and Red Wiggler Community Farm.