DENVER — Denver Food Rescue's incredible work is cleverly simple. The group takes food that would otherwise go to waste and gives it to people who would otherwise go hungry.
For nine years now, their volunteers and staff have picked up food from farmers' markets, grocery stores and food wholesalers in order to deliver that produce to 20 no-cost grocery programs across Denver. Last year, the organization rescued 700,000 pounds of food and gave it away to the 30 to 100 families that visit each of those no-cost stores each week.
Denver Food Rescue uses eight electric bikes to pick up and deliver that food. But overnight Sunday, four bicycles were stolen from the locked shipping container outside their office.
"We're a really small nonprofit. We only have seven employees. This is a very significant loss for us," said Jamie Anderson, Denver Food Rescue program director.
The bikes are not cheap. Two of the stolen bikes cost $6,000 each, while the other two cost $3,500 each. The bicycles were purchased with city grant money.
"We certainly don't have the funding to replace them," said Anderson. "I am worried that we just won't be able to pick up some food and that that food will go to waste and it won't go to people who will eat it."
One of the bikes was found in a ditch at 48th Avenue and Brighton Boulevard, but the other three bikes are still missing. Thankfully, the nonprofit had insurance, which will ease the replacement cost. But until then, they will be forced to operate with only half of their fleet.
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