Every year across Metro Vancouver, residents throw out more than 100,000 tonnes of food. To put that in perspective, each day residents across our communities send more than 15,000 heads of lettuce, 40,000 tomatoes, 80,000 potatoes, 32,000 loaves of bread, and 70,000 cups of milk to the landfill.
Sustainability advocate and SFU lecturer Alia Sunderji wants to change this pattern of waste. She is the founder and coordinator of Luv the Grub, a Surrey-based social enterprise funded by United Way that partners with local farmers and markets to keep unwanted fruits and vegetables from entering landfills.
Luv the Grub also employs local women facing barriers to employment. Together, they make chutneys and jams from the salvageable produce.
United Way funding provides the group with access to a local commercial kitchen space where every month the women cook up different, delicious preserves. It also supports ongoing education and coaching for the employees.
“I’ve had some hard times,” says Betty, one of the women employed by Luv the Grub. “When I first moved to Surrey, I didn’t know anybody. But coming here, I get to meet people, I get to learn different things. It’s also nice working with only women. You don’t get into as many arguments.”
She also appreciates knowing that her work is giving back to her community.
“It’s a good thing because you get to make other people happy. It comes from the heart.”
Learn more about how United Way-supported community meal programs help people learn how to find, grow or prepare healthy, affordable food.