Johnson County food rescue organization seeks more volunteers

IOWA CITY - Now that an Iowa City-based nonprofit has settled into a much larger office space to fill an increased demand for food rescue services, the organization is looking for the volunteers to match.

Table to Table picks up donated food from grocery stores and restaurants and distributes it to 40 different locations, including food pantries, The Salvation Army and free meal programs. Most of the recipients are in Johnson County with a few in Linn County.

The organization recently saw a 'major bump” in food it was transporting - going from an average of about 34,000 pounds per week to 42,000 pounds, said David Wellendorf, logistics and volunteer manager.

Wellendorf credits the increase in food saved and redistributed to a few factors, including having the right volunteer availability, number of donors and places to receive the food. Additionally Wellendorf said his organization meets with the area food pantries every few months to discuss need, which has 'certainly” been higher, he said.

Since the organization was established in 1996, it has rescued and distributed more than 12 million pounds of food, according to its website, table2table.org.

A Call for Volunteers

Although Table to Table does not store its food on site, the organization started talking about moving out of its 800-square-foot facility on East Market Street years ago, Wellendorf said. In January, the budget was finally in the right place to be able to move to an almost 2,000-square-foot home at 840 S. Capitol St., he said.

The new facility includes a computer work room, more space for storing boxes and bay where Table to Table volunteers can fix and wash vans. Wellendorf said the space provides volunteers opportunities to work in areas like data entry and fleet management. 'It just means (we'll) be able to work more effectively,” Wellendorf said.

And now that Table to Table is settled into its new building, Wellendorf said the organization has put out the call for more volunteers.

He said they're especially looking for people, more specifically permanent residents, to drive routes over what he anticipates to be a busy summer. Office volunteers also are needed.

Table to Table has about 80 active volunteers per week with about 150 total. Potential volunteers are instructed to call Table to Table at (319) 337-3400 to get involved.

'We need volunteers and we need them now,” Wellendorf said. 'Food rescue sells itself. There's so much right about food rescue ... it's poetry in motion.”

‘Important' Work

Kaila Rome, executive director of the North Liberty Community Pantry, said the items Table to Table provides are not typical of what the pantry can buy.

'It's a lot of perishable items, a lot of fresh produce and baked goods and things from deli counters that we just can't afford to purchase ... due to expiration dates, storage and things like that,” she said. 'So, having them delivered to our door is really important.”

A February 2016 report released by the Johnson County Hunger Task Force showed that 1 in 7 residents are food insecure. In Linn County, 1 in 8 are food insecure, according to a 2016 Food Environment Alliance report.

Statewide, about 12.7 percent of Iowans are food insecure, the Hunger Task Force report states.

Rome said Table to Table delivers three times each week to her facility and can supply anywhere from 40 to 70 percent of the pantry's food, depending on the season. Rome said if a food rescue organization didn't exist, not only would her pantry lose out on things like breads and frozen meats, but that food would end up in a landfill.

'All of the food that Table to Table brings is food that would go to waste. It is food that would be thrown out by these restaurants and grocery stores,” Rome said. 'Having their partnership and helping spread their message of not wasting food also has been really helpful for people considering making donations to pantries.”

Wellendorf said Table to Table often relies on community donations to fulfill its mission.

According to the organization's most recent tax filings for fiscal year 2015, it took in total revenue of more than $307,000, including more than $237,000 in donations and grants.

The organization had expenses totaling nearly $237,000.

l Comments: (319) 339-3172; maddy.arnold@thegazette.com