2023 Top-Rated Nonprofit

Waste Not Want Not Inc

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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Food, Food Programs

Mission: Connecting the dots between surplus food and hungry people since 1990: Waste Not Want Not exists to prevent the discarding of items that can be used to fight hunger and poverty in our community. Our volunteers rescue food daily from stores, restaurants, vendors, farmers’ fields and neighbors’ gardens. We distribute this perishable food promptly to people fighting hunger in Clay and surrounding counties. These men, women, and children, our neighbors, enjoyed more than two million pounds of wholesome food last year - food that, but for our volunteers’ efforts would have gone to waste. Food belongs in bellies - not landfills What happens to the heart-shaped cakes on February 15, the unbroken eggs in a carton with two that are cracked, the unsold food at your favorite restaurant at closing time, or the unpicked oranges on neighbor’s trees? All these are wasted; thrown away. In a country where one resident in six is food-insecure, one-quarter of all food produced is discarded before it reaches a consumer. But not here in North Florida where Waste Not intercepts food that may be unmarketable or "imperfect" but is perfectly wholesome and safe to consume. Not here in North Florida where Waste Not fights hunger by distributing that rescued food to 2,200 people struggling to put food on the table every day. No one should go hungry while good food goes to waste: Learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUMgyebt3H4

Community Stories

14 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

1

mrw5855, Client Served

Rating: 5

10/25/2022

Orange Park United Methodist Food Pantry every Monday gives out food to 70-80 families feeding 1200 people monthly. Waste Not Want Not Food bank is critical to our success .Every Monday they provide us with a cargo van of rescued food- bread, pastry, produce , dairy items and meat. We then pass that on later in the afternoon to those in need. They are open every week and the volunteers & managers are very helpful and dedicated to their mission. WNWN is a blessing to our pantry and to the communityRay White, OPUMC pantry manager.

1

RickMH Board Member

Rating: 5

10/21/2023

I have experienced the values of Waste Not Want Not as a recipient of its work in my volunteering with a food pantry ministry in Mandarin and as a recent volunteer directly. In both roles, I have seen the benefits Waste Not delivers to the local community in need. The organization is unique in its position to fill a much-needed niche in the effort to combat food insecurity. There are many organizations that support feeding the hungry directly which is valuable and necessary. However, Waste Not's mission is focused on the rescuing of food that would otherwise be squandered and go unused. The organization plays the role of middleman (connecting the dots) between surplus food and hungry people, and it is done primarily through the grace, caring and hard work of hundreds of volunteers and the leadership and dedication of only 2 paid employees. Over the course of a year, Waste Not rescues in the range of 2 million pounds of food and distributes every bit of it to its partnership agencies that are able to get it directly to those in need. That is a powerful effort and result. I know our food pantry would suffer significantly if we did not have Waste Not as a resource for our weekly needs.

1

plato2 Board Member

Rating: 5

10/11/2023

An organization with a dedicated group of volunteers who collect and distribute an enormous amount of food daily to area homeless shelters, food kitchens and food distribution centers.

Previous Stories
1

Volunteer

Rating: 5

10/14/2017

The sheer volume of rescued food volunteers move through Waste Not Want Not on a daily basis is absolutely incredible. I have been privileged to be a part of the dedicated pool of caring souls who help operate this worthwhile enterprise for several years. The commitment of these individuals is awe inspiring. A group I volunteer with who serve the poor directly has also been the recipient of some of the rescued food from Waste Not Want Not for our small emergency food pantry. I can tell you hungry people have had something to eat because of Waste Not Want Not everyday.

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1

rkfresh Board Member

Rating: 5

10/11/2023

I have had the great fortune to be a part of the Waste Not Want Not Inc organization for the past 4 years. Never have I seen in either a for profit or non-profit organization the efficiency and passion with which this great organization is run. Made up of mostly volunteers with only 2 paid staff members Waste Not Want Not fights hunger by rescuing literally millions of pounds of food each year that gets distributed to frontline organizations.

tctractor Board Member

Rating: 5

10/26/2022

WNWN has been providing bread and other food products to our rural food bank for the 10 years that I have been volunteering at The Children's Table food bank. Linda, our contact at WNWN, is amazing. She always offers suggestions for the products that they have available. It is not uncommon for me to receive a text from her at 8:30 PM, updating me on any changes in our next days pickup. Throughout the many months of turmoil that Covid presented, WNWN always tried to smooth out the bumps. Despite shortages they managed to provide us with food 99.9% of the time. We can't thank Sandra and her staff enough for their continued support. Last year we provided over 27,000 food boxes to families here in Rural North Central Florida. Almost every one had food supplied by WNWN! Thanks to you and your staff for supporting us. Tom Callahan - Volunteer Manager/Board Member.

1

tonyabarge Board Member

Rating: 5

10/10/2022

This organization's mission and commitment to executing the mission is impressive. I was unaware of the amount of wasted food in my community. It has been amazing to see how Waste Not is able to rescue food from all over Northeast Florida and get it to local families in need.

1

ShannonBouchet Board Member

Rating: 5

10/10/2022

Being part of the board of this organization is a great joy - knowing we are creating a closed loop system of reducing waste by getting it hungry people is so rewarding. The volunteer driven nature of the nonprofit is truly unique and inspiring.

Previous Stories
2

Board Member

Rating: 5

10/31/2020

Waste Not is a fantastic food rescue that has done so much for the Jacksonville - and broader community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. They continue to provide food to local charities and are adapting as the influx of food changes - from restaurants that go out of business to groceries that have excess. The commitment of the volunteer based team is awesome. I am so proud to be a part of this great organization.

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2

Roger31 Board Member

Rating: 5

09/12/2016

My wife and I started volunteering at Waste Not Want Not over 6 years ago. We love this organization. Our executive director has a passion beyond belief. Our volunteer coordinators, past and present, are amazing. We have a wonderful group of volunteers who give their time and treasures to help us fight hunger and poverty in our community. I am so happy that we chose to serve with all of the special people at Waste Not Want Not.

3

happyhawaiian Board Member

Rating: 5

12/14/2015

I started volunteering for waste not want not 10 years ago. I have never found anything more positive and inspiring before. This organization uses volunteers and their time and cars to "Rescue" food from donors in the retail and wholesale food industry locally that would otherwise be discarded. The collections are returned to a central facility where over 60 non-profit orgs. pick up this food at no charge to support their missions working with the disadvantaged. the retailers get a tax deduction, the volunteers get their hearts tugged, and the pick up groups offset their program costs so they can focus upon their primary mission. absolutely amazing!!

2

Danielle65 Board Member

Rating: 5

12/14/2015

I am amazed at the passion and excitement of our volunteers who pick up the food from our donors and distribute it to those in need. Countless lives have been impacted and I am excited to be part of such a great organization.

Previous Stories
1

Board Member

Rating: 5

10/28/2014

I joined the board of this organization recently because of the great work they do rescuing food that would otherwise be thrown away and distributing it to those in need. I think they have a lot of potential to grow and serve even more people in our community, so I am excited to serve on the board to help them move forward!!

Sarah214 Board Member

Rating: 5

10/28/2014

This is a volunteer-forward organization. It is fueled primarily by its top-notch volunteers. Waste Not Want Not is efficient and runs on a surprisingly lean budget. Its efforts fill two existing needs: to eliminate food waste and to redistribute that food to the hungry. I'm proud to be associated with this remarkable organization.

1

joliverio57 Board Member

Rating: 5

06/24/2013

Waste Not Want Not is a Volunteer-Based Group that exists to prevent the discarding of items that can be used to fight hunger and poverty in N. E. Florida. We receive and distribute 362 days a year.Contributions are pick up by volunteers (in their own vehicles) from supermarkets and restaurants and warehouses for large grocery chains. WNWN has picked up and distributed over 1.5 million pounds of food this past year and will grow by over 15 % this year.
I am a lucky person to be working for this fine organization and I salute our dedicated volunteers!!

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