Politician Wants To Create A 'Craigslist' For Leftover Food

About 1.4 million New Yorkers struggle with hunger. At the same time, restaurants and supermarkets constantly discard perfectly good food that people in need would happily accept. To get these edible leftovers into refrigerators and onto shelves at local food pantries, a New York City Council member has proposed developing a portal that would function much like Craigslist does. In the same way that locals can find out who’s giving away Ikea dressers and raggedy couches on Craigslist, food service groups would be able to see what types of grub are available for free. At the end of the day, local food establishments would upload the goods they have available, and then food banks and pantries could log on to see what’s available to pick up for their clients, Brooklyn Democrat Rafael Espinal, Jr. told HuffPost. Timing is a key factor. The quick turnaround would allow nonprofits to obtain perishable food promptly and put it out the next day. “I would love this to be very similar to Craigslist, where it’s very easy and user friendly,” Espinal said. “I thought this would be a great way … to make a seamless connection between the two entities.” Espinal first introduced the bill to the City Council in March. There was a hearing on the matter last week. He hopes the council will vote on it in the next few months and that the website will be up and running by next year. Olivia Lapeyrolerie, deputy press secretary for Mayor Bill de B...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news