Office of Public Affairs
For Immediate Release: January 29, 2018
News Release #2018-02
Media Contact: Lance Klug
SACRAMENTO–The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery has announced the first award recipients for its new Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program. As part of California’s comprehensive strategy to combat climate change, CalRecycle awarded $9.4 million to 31 projects throughout the state that:
- Decrease the estimated 6 million tons of food waste landfilled in California each year, and
- Increase the state’s capacity to collect, transport, store, and distribute more food for the roughly 1 in 8 Californians who are food insecure.
When sent to landfills, food and other organic waste decomposes and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a heat-trapping effect at least 86 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year span.
“Bolstering California’s food recovery infrastructure will help feed communities in need, create new jobs, and result in significant greenhouse gas reductions,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline said. “Our hope is that these programs will inspire similar efforts throughout California.”
CalRecycle’s Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities.
To be eligible for grant funding, projects must be located in California; result in permanent, annual, and measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and increase the quantity of California-generated food materials prevented, reduced, or rescued from disposal. Note: Many of the following grant recipients serve multiple counties.
| Applicant | County | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda County Waste Management Authority | Alameda | $500,000 |
| Associated Students, Inc. | Los Angeles | $65,340 |
| City of Riverside | Riverside | $209,736 |
| City of Santa Monica | Los Angeles | $100,000 |
| Cityteam-Oakland | Alameda | $96,429 |
| Food Bank Coalition of SLO County | San Luis Obispo | $100,000 |
| Food Bank for Monterey County | Monterey | $475,072 |
| Food Finders, Inc. | Los Angeles | $100,000 |
| Food Forward | Los Angeles | $500,000 |
| Jesus Provides Our Daily Bread dba Jesus Center | Butte | $499,789 |
| Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network | Santa Clara | $313,000 |
| Los Angeles Regional Food Bank | Los Angeles | $386,960 |
| ProduceGood | San Diego | $100,000 |
| Re-plate, Inc. | Alameda | $299,100 |
| San Diego Food System Alliance, a Fiscal Project of Leah’s Pantry | San Diego | $500,000 |
| St. Francis Center | Los Angeles | $100,000 |
| The Midnight Mission | Los Angeles | $100,000 |
| University of California, Merced | Merced | $100,000 |
| *Waste Not OC Coalition, a Fiscal Project of OneOC | Orange | $339,574 |
| White Pony Express | Contra Costa | $115,000 |
| Total (FY 2016-2017 Funds) | $5,000,000 |
| Applicant | County | Award |
|---|---|---|
| City of Culver City | Los Angeles | $497,144 |
| City of Richmond | Contra Costa | $327,500 |
| Desert Manna | San Bernardino | $470,450 |
| El Dorado County | El Dorado | $277,140 |
| Fresno Metropolitan Ministry | Fresno | $500,000 |
| Imperial Valley Food Bank | Imperial | $500,000 |
| Kern County | Kern | $191,963 |
| Los Angeles Conservation Corps | Los Angeles | $375,206 |
| Peninsula Food Runners | San Francisco | $200,000 |
| Strong Food/L.A. Kitchen, Inc. | Los Angeles | $389,387 |
| Ventura County | Ventura | $499,293 |
| *Waste Not OC Coalition, a Fiscal Project of OneOC | Orange | $160,426 |
| Total (FY 2017-2018 Funds) | $4,388,509 |
*Project funded with combination of FY 2016-17 and FY 2017-18 allocations
Eligible applicants for CalRecycle’s Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program include cities, counties, and other local agencies; businesses; California universities and colleges; nonprofit organizations; and qualifying Indian Tribes. Applicants may submit cooperative or regional applications with no more than four participants to achieve food recovery projections.
Find out more about CalRecycle’s California Climate Investments grants and loans and read stories from other grant recipients about how they’re putting Cap-and-Trade dollars to work for California’s economy, environment, and the health of our communities.
For more information contact, the Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov
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CalRecycle's mission is to protect California's environment and climate for the health and prosperity of future generations through the reduction, reuse and recycling of California resources, environmental education, disaster recovery, and the transition from a disposable to a fully circular economy.