Metro Atlanta food rescue organization marks meal kit milestone
ATLANTA - Wednesday marks a major milestone for local nonprofit Second Helpings Atlanta. The food rescue organization's "Meals With Meaning" program has officially hit six figures, a major step toward the effort's goal of delivering more than 400,000 meals to local families facing food insecurity.
GET BREAKING NEWS EMAIL ALERTS FROM FOX 5
Volunteers with Second Helpings Atlanta packed up their 100,000th meal kit this morning, with Good Day Atlanta in attendance at the organization's home base.
Second Helpings Atlanta - which collects healthy surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, venues, and other resources and distributes it to those in need - teamed up earlier this summer with meal kit company Hello Fresh and packaging company Pratt Industries for the "Meals With Meaning" program, which aims to provide 8,000 meal kits per week to those facing food insecurity in Atlanta. Those kits feature fresh ingredients provided by HelloFresh and Pratt Industries, along with a recipe card to help recipients prepare the meals.
Officials with Second Helpings Atlanta say the pandemic has drastically increased the number of local families facing food insecurity; according to the organization's website, one in eight people in the state is food insecure. So far this year, the organization says it has rescued nearly 3 million pounds of food.
For more information on Second Helpings Atlanta and the "Meals With Meaning" program, click here. And click the video player to check out our morning hanging out with the organization's busy volunteers!
WATCH: FOX 5 NEWS LIVE COVERAGE
_____
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 5 ATLANTA APP FOR BREAKING NEWS AND WEATHER ALERTS