Food chain
Regarding “Dumpster à la Carte” (Snapshot, 4/21/2016) and the quote “Food like this definitely needs to go to another individual who cannot put fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. There should be an easy way for grocery stores and restaurants to donate it.”
We couldn’t agree more with Aaron Conradt: Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin Inc. (CAC) has been involved in recovering perishable food before it hits the dumpster through our CAC Gleaners program since 1992. CAC Gleaner volunteers recover nearly one million pounds of food annually from grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries and caterers. The recovered food is then distributed to homeless shelters, food pantries, soup kitchens and other low-income community/senior centers. CAC provides this food free of charge to our partner agencies.
What can you do to help? Contact CAC to serve as a Gleaner volunteer! The more Gleaners involved in establishing new routes, the more food will be collected and distributed to individuals and families who need it. We believe that no good food should go to waste.
After all, no one chooses to go hungry.
Wayne Morris, Foods Program leader, Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin Inc. (via email)
Teamwork
As president of the Madison Parks Commission, I really appreciated your recent article on the improvements made in Brittingham Park and the surrounding neighborhood (“The Brittingham Renaissance,” 4/21/2016). No doubt about it, it was a true team effort. Area residents, parks staff, commission members, the Madison Police Department, city council leaders and Wingra Boats owner Tyler Leeper and his staff worked together the past five years to turn the park around. Brittingham is one of the true gems of our parks system, and our mutual efforts have paid dividends to make it even better.
Your story was a great example of the fine reporting we have come to expect from Isthmus throughout your long history covering important city issues. Keep up the good work. We need it more than ever.
David Wallner, Parks Commission president (via email)
Correction
Last week’s opinion column misspelled the name of Ald. Chris Schmidt.
