A delivery truck is backing into the loading dock at the corporate headquarters of Antone’s. Workers are dropping off perfectly good Antone's sandwiches near their expiration date that couldn't sell in the stores.
In the past, these extra sandwiches used to end up in the trash. But not anymore. They're being rescued, so to speak, thanks to retired marketing executive Barbara Bronstein, a Houstonian who saw a need.
"When we deliver food to the soup kitchens, there are people lining up for their only meal of the day, a free meal and it is heart-wrenching," Bronstein said.
She started a non-profit called Second Servings. It’s known as Houston's only prepared-food rescue organization.
"It’s not food scraps, it’s not touched food, it’s uneaten surplus food that has been unserved and untouched," Bronstein said.
The food is picked up from caterers, hotels, sports venues, and other businesses.
Antone’s donates about a thousand sandwiches a week. On this day, the sandwiches picked up by Second Servings are dropped off at a charity called The Center, which helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The sandwiches will end up on dinner plates in a few hours.
"Food expense is one of our largest expenses, so if we can have any amount of assistance with that, certainly Second Servings has done that for us," says Kevin Kern, The Center's CEO.
They can thank Barbara Bronstein, who's fighting hunger by saving food from the landfill.
If you know someone who is doing great community work, let us know by dropping us an email.