By Chelsea Clinton
Rock Center Special Correspondent
Every day, more than 50 million Americans are at risk of not having enough to eat; yet, each year in the United States, 40 percent of our edible food is simply thrown away. Today, in the face of unprecedented need, there is no one face of the hungry - they are children, parents, grandparents and even the working poor.
Many of us think about hunger when there are canned food drives around Thanksgiving, but hunger doesn't have a season. Year-round, there are millions of pounds of unserved food that could be put to better use. At one Fortune 500 restaurant company, excess food is being put to use. The food is finding its way from restaurant kitchens to the places where people need it most, including missions, shelters and after-care programs. I saw this program firsthand in Orlando, Fla., earlier in April.
Darden owns the largest number of casual dining restaurants in the country, including such well-known brands as Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and Red Lobster. In 2004, Darden management noticed that some of its restaurant managers were engaged in what they called 'random acts of kindness.' Instead of throwing away unserved food at the end of each night, some managers were donating it to local food banks and hunger relief organizations. It was a small percentage of places, but Drew Madsen, Darden president and chief operating officer, told me that it was enough to make the company take notice. In 2004, donating became a company-wide policy and today, in every one of Darden's more than 1,900 locations, staff members stay extra time to prepare, package, freeze and store food for pickup by local food bank partners. Darden calls it their 'Harvest' program.
Darden's now systematic acts of kindness come with a clear financial benefit - it receives a tax benefit for its donations. The company is also protected from legal liability if someone becomes ill from its donated food through the Good Samaritan Law, provided restaurants have properly prepared, packaged and labeled the food. When I asked Madsen if it would be cheaper to just throw the food away, he admitted it would be, but said that his company sees nourishing its communities as part of its mission. It was something I heard echoed in the kitchens and dining rooms of the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouses I visited. It's clear that for the people who work throughout the Darden brands that harvesting the food for the hungry is as much a part of their job as making and serving food to their customers.
Dave Krepcho, president of the Second Harvest Food Bank, told me he thought more programs from more restaurants like Darden's could make a significant dent in our hunger challenge.
Leave a Comment:
Please tell my why public schools throw away unopened cartons of milk, juice, fruit, etc. every day. It is ridiculous and so sad that this happens all across America.
Chelsea Clinton has to do a piece about legislation the president in 1996 signed into law (gee, who was in office then). What a lightweight. She reminds me of somebody landing a spot in the Yankee's batting line-up who has never held a bat before. Please put a real reporter on your cast. She really lowers the journalism standard of your news story, especially when she does the puff pieces about all the great things her Daddy has done.
Oh my god. Someone please get her off the television. She has no business being in front of the camera. Her "reading" inflection was horrid. Birthright does not give one a carte blanche for Television. Come on NBC!!! My TV is changed off of NBC if that daughter is ever back on your channel.
All of the children in the school had on jewelry and had their hair "done.' And, the mother living in the home had highlights. Their priorities are screwed up and they want others to pay for it.
thank you for noticing!! This is just more msnbc liberal crap. Your are so right!!
Thank you! : ) People are so screwed up thinking it's a "right" to have their hair done or to have their nails done. Don't get me wrong...I love having it done, who doesn't! But, it's expensive and it's a "luxury" not a right.
How do you explain the couple at the end of the this story that were better dressed and better groomed than me, and I'm considered middle class. The wife was not only very well dressed and well groomed but her teeth were pearl white if they are poor, how does she afford manicured nails, and especially how does she afford the hair styling and the hair coloring!, that is not cheap and if your poor how can you afford that!!?? These folks are not poor, the people in the last story that were in the hospital were the real poor, as they did not have good or even nice teeth.
Something besides blues on the news. This is great!
This is great! A must read, something besides the blues on the news. Darden, today's best persons in the world.
I just hope someone else is elected. We WILL turn this country around!
OMG, just signed on to comment about the same thing Marsha!! I have witnessed school cafeterias allowing children to throw away food including unopened milk, fruit... daily. These are children who receive free or reduced lunch because their parents can't afford to pay. The problem is not just that the children don't consume the food or value it, but depending on the cafeteria mgr or the federal policies children are forced to take the food whether they want it or not and then they have to throw it away if not eaten. At some schools, "extras" are put out for those that want seconds but many school cafe mgrs won't even allow this "sharing" they claim due to food service guidelines. Where's the logic in this? An apple sits on a tray, you don't eat apples, so it must be thrown in the trash-but yet it's checked off on someones list, as eaten so their numbers look correct. The fruit often comes from fruit and vegetable programs intended to make produce available to children whose families otherwise might not be able to affor it. Chelsea, I can send you some video of this happening over and over. It's a scam in some schools! Govt also has put too many restrictions on food service and now cafe mgrs operate in the extreme which results in a ridiculous amount of waste and children often not getting what's intended for them. Send in an undercover team to investigate this!!!!!
Thank you Red Lobster, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse (Darden Mgmt. and Yum Co.) and many more for feeding the hungry, here in the U.S.... Here in Central FL, alone, the number of foodless people has more than doubled since 2009, over 750,000 people in Central FL... Share this and maybe other restaurants will join in... Shame on the people commenting on here, judging the kids and families on this program, I hope they are never in need....
I have needed it but didn't have the money to get expensive hair cuts and hair highlighting and coloring, and whitened teeth, get a grip and clue.
I'm with you Stephanie. I shake my head at people criticizing the effort of SAVING FOOD THAT WOULD ORDINARILY BE TRASH. I can't understand it. Racists I guess.
It's a great program, you just have to be blind to not notice those folks were not POOR. They were very well dressed, groomed, highlighted hair, very white teeth, etc. This is not the very poor, the segment before that was with the poor people in the hospital. but I getcha, use the race card instead of understanding what we are criticizing. That's how you justify it right!
My hair is more than one color, doesn't mean it is highlighted or colored, mine is natural.. White teeth can be achieved by brushing your teeth, poor people do brush their teeth and take pride in themselves. Kids had on jewelry and had their hair done??? OK, once again, because you are poor, does not mean you have to wear dirty clothes, not bathe, not brush your hair, or not take pride in your appearance. Some people haven't always been poor and due to the economic downfall over the last few years, more people are jobless, losing their homes, etc.... Maybe the highlights, jewelry, makeup and everything else are things these people had before they hit hard times... I know because my husband and I have worked since we were teenagers, never lived off the gov't or collected unemployment, but in the last couple of years, my husband was laid off due to his company closing down and we had to get public assistance to ensure our son would be able to eat, have a roof over his head, and clothes on his body, but if you didn't know us or just by looking at us, you wouldn't think we were. I still wore makeup (cheap/off brands), brush and styled my hair, and we all wore clean, decent clothing. Once we were back on our feet and my husband was working again, we cancelled our public assistance and we are doing O.K. on our own.. I am just thankful there are programs to help people cause I never thought I would be one of them, I was and I am thankful. Just saying , keep an open mind, you don't know everyone's circumstances or why and how they got to the point of needing the help!!
Well said, but her hair was not naturally two colors. I am more concerned about the real poor, not just temporary poor. The truly poor are what we need to focus on. Far too many supposed poor have better smart phones, jewelry, cable channels, cars, clothes than I do. These people are not truly poor, just spend thrifts that don't save and spend everything on materialistic crap and then cry poor when times get difficult. People need to be far more responsible for themselves, save more, spend less and be responsible without so much reliance on others, especially the Government. Government cannot and has never solved our problems. Again I agree with this program but the truly poor is where we need to focus.
It was an after-school program, perhaps Big Brothers/Big Sisters. I cant recall, but it wasn't part of the school system. Reading further down, I am dismayed to see that apparently our own public schools aren't even doing as much to preserve their food resources.
and, as a side note, WHY would you or anyone for that matter have a PROBLEM with food that would ordinarily be thrown away be given to hungry people??? WHAT? I wasn't fond of the fact that they were eating FRIED chicken ( like we need to accelerate the obesity problem with free food) but....C'MON. We should NOT be putting food into the trash. We need to go back to solutions used during the depression era.
Judge not lest ye be judged! Did it occur to any of you judgemental ones that perhaps the TV show's wardrobe and makeup people were at work making the poor "prettier"?
You're missing the whole point of the article - a giant corporation is actually doing something to HELP - when was the last time YOU did even a tiny random act of kindness?
No, you just sit and fuss over how someone LOOKS; how it's "not fair" others get help; how you don't like the reporter or Chelsea Clinton; blah blah blah! Wake up - get out of your self-absorbed bubbles of self pity you are wallowing in!
Try doing something nice for someone else-you might amaze yourself at how much better it makes YOU feel!
Instead of bickering over stupid details; we should remember this is America - the Greatest country on the planet; and the richest - so WHY are there people going hungry when SO much food is being wasted? Sharing, taking care of our neighbors, and learning from each other was one of the things that made this country what it is - back when people were not so self-absorbed over appearances and petty differences!
because many of those folks are not the truly poor, get a clue and grip.
by the way, we are allowed to judge certain things and the new testament is full of constructive judgement and criticism, you obviously use that cliche like so many others, please come up with something original and new, you are too funny!
So sad to see so few get what the heart of this piece was about; so glad to see a few got it. Who really give a darn-that's right darn-about the hair and make-up etc, when there are so many people in this Country doing without and so much food going to waste. Where is the sense in that? Ms. Clinton may not have the TV presence that some would wish, but why not her? At least there is someone talking about this. Wouldn't it be great if instead of commenting on things that are of such little importance, we could all lend a hand in some way, great or small, to see what difference we, as human beings could make in each other's lives. My only thought tonight, knowing that my family has been fed and sleeping in clean beds, is what can I do to help this disturbing situation.
This was a great story and kudos to Darden and the other chains for their philantrophy. Now I wish Chelsea would go after the large petstore chains such as Petsmart who throw out split bags of dog and cat food instead of donating them to local rescue groups who are trying so hard to help homeless animals and low income families who are struggling to keep their pets rather than surrender them to shelters. Walmart donates their split bags, as does Food Lion, but large big box pet supply stores are less willing for some reason. Maybe the "Good Samaritan" law would cover them against liability if that is the stated reason they waste petfood rather than donate it to charitable non-profit groups.
I wonder were else the "Good Samaritan" law could apply. What about grocery stores, deli's, bakeries etc, etc, etc......This list could go on and on!
I was impressed with Chelsea Clinton and thought she did a great job!
Why is it I get up and go to work everyday? Why am I paying for health insurance? Why am I buying food for my familywith money I earn? OH yea, that's right.. I am a White American citizen.
I feed homeless people often and many are white~ many had jobs and then lost them ~ homelessness doesn't care about what color your skin is~
The haters just keep hating! The only decent NBC show left is Rock Center and Chelsea Clinton does and admirable job presenting her stories with depth and compassion, Just because you are right wing doesn't mean you have to show your insensitivity and callousness about the way the stories are presented. Here was a "good news" story that had no government involvement and all you can see is Chelsea Clinton and the mother that takes care of herself in a shelter. You not only missed the boat, you are clueless. As the only NBC program other than sports I watch, I commend you for giving Chelsea the opportunity of presenting her stories from the heart. I turned off the Today Show, Dateline and other shows I used to watch because of the lack of focus and if Chelsea goes, so will I.
Hunger and poverty are issues for millions of people in the U.S. One population that often goes unnoticed are students. Students are a vulnerable population because of the increased costs of going to school. Issues that may not have as serious an effect on someone who works full time can be serious complications for students who can't work full time. The office that I work at works with students to find solutions to financial issues, it was established by the students at my school and is maintained by student fees.
If you'd like more information on it, you can read our blog: our website: or our Facebook:
This is what Americans do, help others !
In Long Beach, CA a group called Food Finders has been picking up day old food that large grocery stores and restaurants donate. They use volunteers to deliver the food to various needy organizations, such as soup kitchens, women's shelters, half-way houses, etc. Food Finders has been doing this in Southern California for well over 10 years. It is a great model for others to follow...as it is based on volunteers delivering and large organizations donating food. I used to donate food from my health food store years ago and also worked as a volunteer driver.
Ugh, I was trying to respond to Charlotte DeFrancisco and accidentally clicked another button that I think might appear as though I agree with what she said, WRONG! We are NOT racist for NOT wanting to support people who abuse the system! If they have money to wear jewelry, make-up, hair highlighting, etc. then they have money to pay for their OWN meals. Be responsible.
This was an outstanding article about companies being generous and donnating unused food to those who cannot provide for themselves nor their families. We are not supposed to judge a book by its cover nor by its hair color, appearance, etc.. Didn't know being poor had to appear a certain way. I know of friends that live in homeless shelters and have nothing. Yet, if you met them on the street, you wouldn't know it. Darden, along with other companies that weren't mentioned, have done an exceptional job in helping to feed the less fortunate. I hope other restaurants join in. We can't waste food anymore.
To all those who belittled the family who came forward on their own, courageous as they are to tell their story have no right to judge them. Homelessness does not pick a race, working job class or where you live. IT HAPPENS. The next person who might be looking to ask for any kind of help from the government, local food banks or churches might be a co-worker, the neighbor down the street, you're kids school classmate MAYBE even YOU one day. People who are homeless probably most likely had a job not that long ago. They still have their clothes, jewelery, kids toys and most importantly their DIGNITY. Just because the homeless might stay in a shelter doesn't mean they have to look the part. You can't judge people just by looks, you have no idea what kind of walk their life is taking day by day. Yes, they looked great. What's the problem? I wish this family only the best of luck!
I am totally disgusted!............Not by the content of this marvelous story, (kudos to Darden and Second Harvest), but by the hateful, soulless comments objecting to everything from hair styles, skin color, and Chelsea Clinton. Shame on every one of you. Why? Why on earth would you nit pick a good story about humans doing good things for other humans and find fault with it? I sickened by your inhumanity and hatefulness, judgement of others, and "assumptions" about people in need. YOU don't get to decide who is "needy" and who isn't. I too am fortunate enough to not have been put in the position to rely on the kindnesses of others, but I never for one moment take that fact for granted because "there but for the grace of God go I". No one knows when trouble or difficulties may befall them. Those of you judging these people, Ms. Clinton and the efforts of the Darden company and Second Harves SHOULD be totally ashamed of yourselves. The really sad thing is, you won't. God help us. There are so many hate filled charlatans among us.
When you fall on "hard times" YOU do what YOU can first. (sell jewelry, don't get highlights, don't get manicures) THEN seek assistance. It doesn't matter if they had those things prior to hard times. They need to put forth effort themselves BEFORE taking handouts and making us pay for it!!!