Did you know the average family could save $3,000 a year just by eating the food they’ve already purchased instead of throwing it away? That’s more than 90 hours of work — over two full weeks — just to earn money that ends up in the trash. This year, we turned those numbers into action during Food Waste Prevention Week (FWPW), held April 7–13, 2025, and the results were inspiring.
Every time food goes uneaten, we’re not just wasting a meal — we’re wasting the water, energy, and land it took to grow, harvest, and transport it. At the same time, many of our neighbors face food insecurity. Addressing food waste is one of the most powerful triple wins we have: saving money, feeding more people, and protecting our planet.
This year, in partnership with the City of Orlando’s Art Pollination: Building Food Justice through Creativity project (funded by a Bloomberg grant), we hosted a week of action that educated, inspired, and delivered real impact.
Together with our friends at Society of St. Andrew, volunteers joined us in the fields for gleaning events to rescue produce that would have otherwise gone to waste. The fruits and vegetables we harvested were brought back to the 4Roots Farm Campus and distributed through our Meet the Need program — turning surplus into sustenance for families across Central Florida.
We closed out the week with a special edition of the 4Roots Farmers Market on April 12, where the community gathered to Re-Imagine Food Waste. Guests explored art installations by local artists, participated in hands-on workshops, watched culinary demonstrations, and learned simple, actionable steps to reduce waste at home. Our sustainability partners and vendors shared tools and resources for building a stronger, more resilient food system.
In total, we rescued and redistributed hundreds of pounds of fresh produce — from tomatoes and bananas to strawberries, peppers, okra, and leafy greens — all of which went right back into the community where it was needed most.
Food Waste Prevention Week was about more than awareness — it was about building a movement where food is valued, neighbors are nourished, and our planet is cared for. We are deeply grateful to every volunteer, partner, and market guest who joined us. Together, we made a real difference — and we’re just getting started.