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IN THE MIDST OF A FOOD SALVATION CRISIS, FARM TO PANTRY ONBOARDS STAR CHEF & FARMER DUSKIE ESTES TO SPEARHEAD EXPANSION TO BRIDGE THE GAP & MITIGATE FOOD WASTE
HEALDSBURG, Calif. – In the United States, nearly 40% of food is wasted, under normal conditions. Food waste is now exacerbated in the face of the current pandemic, while food banks are running out of food. This surge of people with food insecurity and food gluts going to waste does not sit well with Duskie Estes. Estes, who has two decades of dedication to ethical sourcing and advocacy for small farmers under her belt, felt compelled to act, returning her focus to fighting food insecurity. And she intends to do just that as the new Executive Director for Farm to Pantry. Estes states, “Witnessing both the urgent need for food with unemployment numbers hitting those we saw in 1940 and farmers in a harvesting and distribution ‘pickle,’ I see the Farm to Pantry nonprofit model as a remarkable answer to arrest food waste. I am ready to lead Farm to Pantry to help all of Sonoma County.”
Estes has always been dedicated to hunger relief, even as she, her restaurant ZAZU and her Black Pig Meat Company were becoming famous in the food world: “Top Best New Restaurant,” Michelin-rated, “San Francisco’s Top 50 Restaurants,” “Rising Star Chef Awards for Sustainability,” “Best New Chef,” co-authored a James Beard Award book, one of Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef,” a judge on “Guy’s Grocery Games and featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” Farm to Pantry founder and board member, Melita Love says, “Duskie’s energy and devotion to providing nutrient-rich foods to those in need is inspiring. Our plan is to galvanize service expansion and boost our profile so communities are aware of our mission and what we do.”
In an effort to augment the goal of raising Farm to Pantry’s profile, the board has enlisted wine industry Public Relations 20-year veteran, Kelly Conrad, as their PR & Communications Specialist. “I have volunteered as a gleaner as well as at the Food Pantry. To be able to see the journey of the produce we glean in local farms go to the food pantries and then see them placed in the hands of those facing food insecurity is profoundly enriching. I am honored and eager to assist Farm to Pantry in their mission of making a formidable impact on addressing the astonishing amount of food waste in our communities,” says Conrad.
There are crops with rotting produce due to lack of farm staff to harvest them and lack of buyers for harvested food; perishable foods are being outright discarded because they are not picked in time or go unsold before its expiration date. All this is occurring at a time when there is a massive increase in American citizens needing food assistance. Food banks and pantries are running out of food, unable to keep up with the spike in demand. “It drives me crazy to know there are oranges, greens and other produce being abandoned out there when there are hungry mouths to feed,” says Estes. “Food security is within our reach, we just need to mobilize and expand Farm to Pantry to salvage those crops and get the food distributed to those needing assistance.” Conrad adds, “We may be living in an uncertain world right now, but mother earth continues to provide, and it is our job to ensure the gift of food is not wasted.”
Farm to Pantry’s vision is for everyone to have access to healthy, locally-grown food that nourishes our community, while assuaging food waste. The mission is to cultivate good health and community and to support environmental stability by rescuing locally-grown food to share with those in need. For information, call (707) 955-9898 or visit our website: www.farmtopantry.org to support this work.