BRIDGEPORT—St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport is taking part in a system-wide program aimed at reducing food waste and food insecurity in the local community.
The program, WasteNot, aims to reduce waste and find ways to put unused food to good use. The program is being implemented by Compass One, which oversees food services across Hartford HealthCare. The program started at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain.
St. Vincent’s and Compass One are partnering with Connecticut Foodshare for this first-of-its-kind program in Connecticut, which allows a food service department within a hospital to donate food to a local non-profit in need. St. Vincent’s provides food for approximately 1,000 people a day including patients, visitors and staff.
“With that kind of volume, we usually have some food left at the end of meal services that is still perfectly good for repurposing,” said Aaron Perrott, executive chef at St. Vincent’s. “The process is very simple but extremely effective in serving our community through food.”
St. Vincent’s medical center has partnered with the Thomas Merton Center in Bridgeport, a program of Catholic Charities of Fairfield County aimed at serving those in need. On Thursdays, a volunteer from the Merton Center picks up food donations to be used to serve their guests.
(For more information, visit: www.stvincents.org.)
