wfn.org | Re: United Methodist Daily News note 3300

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
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Note 335 modified by UMNS on Sept. 19, 1997 at 15:54 Eastern (3836
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TEXT: Society of St. Andrew Receives USDA Award

CONTACT: Thomas S. McAnally			   523(10-71B){335}
         Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470	Sept. 19, 1997

United Methodist-related hunger-relief
organization given USDA award

by United Methodist News Service

	The Society of St. Andrew, a United Methodist-related hunger-relief
organization based in Big Island, Va., recently was given the first annual
"Hero of Food Recovery & Gleaning Award" by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
The presentation was made in Washington during the first National Summit on
Gleaning & Food Recovery Sept. 15-16. Accepting the award was the society's
co-founder, the Rev. Ken Horne.  
Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman kicked off
the summit convened by the USDA and four leading national non-profit
anti-hunger groups. Purpose of the unique public-private event was to identify
ways to use gleaning and food recovery in the United States as an inexpensive
means of helping feed the hungry with nutritious food that would otherwise be
wasted.
The vice president announced the start of a national plan to increase by 33
percent the amount of food recovered annually.  "When we reach our goal, we
will be able to use that recovered food to feed 450,000 more people each day
for a year," he said.
The award recognized the Society of St. Andrew's role in establishing gleaning
and fresh-food salvage as viable, inexpensive ways to feed hungry people while
addressing one of hunger's major causes: food waste.
"There is enough surplus food in this country to feed every hungry person,"
said Horne.  "No one should ever have to go hungry."
More than 200 million pounds of fresh produce has been salvaged, donated and
delivered by the Society of St. Andrew to food banks, soup kitchens, Salvation
Army centers, church food pantries, homeless shelters and Native American
reservations throughout the 50 states, according to Horne.  At approximately
three servings per pound, this is more than 600 million servings of nourishing
food to feed America's hungry at a cost of two cents a serving.
"Fresh produce is a much sought after, nutritious commodity not readily
available to food banks and hunger-relief agencies," Horne explained.  "The
Society of St. Andrew plays a large role in meeting this very important need
in hunger-relief."
The Society of St. Andrew, a Christian, non-profit, ecumenical organization
begun in 1979 by two United Methodist pastors, accomplishes its mission to
salvage food and feed the hungry through four major programs; the Gleaning
Network, the Potato Project, Harvest of Hope and the Seed Potato Project. 
Through these nationwide produce salvage programs the society brings together
farmers, volunteer gleaners, distribution networks, food banks and relief
agencies to provide direct relief to the hungry.
In recent years the Gleaning Network has had more than 35,000 volunteers
salvage more than six million pounds of edible produce from fields donated by
farmers.  The Potato Project has received donations of more than 200 million
pounds of potatoes and other produce from major growers.  All this food has
been donated to feed the hungry, with the Society paying the costs for bagging
and shipping.
"We could easily distribute twice as much as we do  now," said Horne. 
"Farmers call us every day with crops to donate, and there is no end to the
food banks, church and human service agencies that need food. The only
limitation is the money needed for bagging and shipping.  Our non-profit
organization relies entirely on contributions from individuals, churches,
corporations and foundations to carry out its mission of feeding hungry
people."
The Society of St. Andrew is an Advance Special of the United Methodist Church
(#801600-0).
#  #  #

	 
	
ST. ANDREW -- 2

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