Sustainability

Oberlin Community Services is committed to helping build a strong, viable community that can thrive far into the future. One of our core values is responsible stewardship. With this in mind, a number of our programs work to make our operations, our local food systems, and our community at large more sustainable. In addition to our sustainability-focused initiatives we also have partnerships with the Oberlin College Environmental Studies department and LCCC’s Sustainable Agriculture program!

Food Rescue

Our Food Rescue program aims to rescue pre-prepared food from local restaurants, cafeterias, and dining halls that would otherwise go to waste.

This provides a liability-free way to avoid throwing away excess food. As a partner in the Food Rescue program, restaurants and dining halls have a sustainable way to decrease their food waste, while also fighting food insecurity in their communities.

The program began in 2016 as an effort to reduce food waste and increase access to restaurant-quality meals for the residents of Lorain County. In 2020, we rescued over 19,000 pounds of food, which we distributed during our food distributions.

Want to become a Food Rescue partner, or help to deliver food rescue to our office? Please email Food Programs Coordinator Suzette Sanchez at suzette@oberlincommunityservices.org, or call our office at (440) 774-6579.

Farm Food Rescue

The Farm Food Rescue program gleans leftover or unharvested produce from local farms for distribution in our Food Programs. By gleaning produce, we work to increase access to nutritious food and promote environmental sustainability.

The program began in early 2020 and in its first year gleaned over 21,000 pounds of produce. Gleaned produce has included watermelon, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and salad greens from at least 15 farms across northeast Ohio.

To learn more about Farm Food Rescue, or to become a partner contact our Food Justice Interns at gleaning@oberlincommunityservices.org, or call our office at (440) 774-6579.

Composting & Waste

OCS is committed to eliminating waste from our pantry and garden. When produce isn't distributed in time (which we make every effort to do) and is no longer fit for consumption, we don't want it to be wasted. To address this, we set up a three-bin compost system. A large amount of food is composted this way and used to fill our garden beds. If we have extra compost, we donate it to the Legion Fields Garden compost or to individuals who raise chickens and use the decaying produce for feed.