October 2022 – In 2021, the Helena City Commission adopted a Resolution to establish a goal for the City to reduce solid waste disposal to landfills by 50% by 2040, with an interim target of 35% reduction by 2030.

Nearly 40% of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten, with 95% of it going into landfills. Food waste is the largest component of municipal solid waste at 21%. Helena Food Share plays a vital role in reducing the amount of food that would otherwise end up in the landfill by collecting donated food from 17 local stores

This past year (July 2021 through June 2022), Helena Food Share rescued 896,066 lbs. of food. Rescued food accounts for 40% of the food distributed in the Pantry. Once drivers bring rescued food to the Pantry, volunteers sort and stock the food or prepare it for delivery to other local entities, with 80,475 lbs. distributed through other agencies in FY21.

Some donated items cannot go into the Pantry because they  are too old or have some spoilage. Rather than throwing it away, we set it aside for local farmers who pick it up daily

for livestock feed. 39,476 lbs. of food were reallocated to farm use last year.

In addition to repurposing food, all suitable packaging – cardboard, glass, aluminum cans, and plastic – is recycled, keeping it out of the landfill. Some recyclable materials gain a second life at Helena Food Share. Food in the Pantry is packed into cardboard boxes recycled from area liquor stores for customers to carry their groceries home. Some customers return those boxes to be used again. Donated plastic bags and egg cartons are also used for product packaging in the Pantry, giving them a longer life. Finally, all garden waste is composted and used to fertilize next year’s garden.

At Helena Food Share, we will continue to look for new opportunities to play a significant role in helping reach the City’s goals to reduce waste in Helena.