A volunteer operation that feeds 20,000 individuals each week started out with a chance grocery shopping encounter.
Four years ago, a member of Collierville United Methodist Church in Collierville, Tennessee, was shopping at local Costco when he spotted an employee loading up pallets of leftover fresh produce.
According to
WREG, he inquired about the fate of what appeared to be still-edible food. He was surprised to learn that it was all headed for the dumpster. What if I come pick it up? he asked.
And every day since, that s exactly what volunteers from Collierville United Methodist Church have been doing.
For four years, the church s non-profit Resource Redistribution Ministry (RRM) or simply the Gleaning Ministry, has been redistributing fruits, vegetables, and other perishable foods donated by area grocers to food-challenged populations.