Freegan

I just saw a documentary about the money and lifestyles of different women in London.
The crew documented a golddigger, a self-made millionaire, and a woman who identified as a freegan.
I had never heard of freegans before, but as I watched, I became more and more amazed.

The idea initially repulsed me,
Freegans live and eat for 'free' by digging through bags of garbage outside shops, bakeries,  delis, restaurants and other places. 
How disgusting is that? Digging through garbage to find things you eat?
That's not safe, that's not sanitary, why not just buy fresh foods instead of eating waste?


My stomach churned, and my blood ran like ice from shock as I kept watching,
Even more disgusting than digging through the trash,
Even more sickening than taking food from rubbish bags,
Even more shocking than eating the food from garbage bags,
Was the amount of food, and even worse, PERFECTLY GOOD food found.

This was not the scraps and bones you and I throw in the green bin.
Whole sandwiches swathed in plastic, stickers intact.
Sushi, arranged by the tray, still in perfect rows and in a crystal clear plastic container.
Breads and rolls, still soft, even in the winter air, straight from bakery shelves.
A whole tureen of soup, in a bag, still WARM.
Sandwiches, pasta, wraps, spring rolls, sushi, soup, bread, rice balls, burritos, nachos, everything that could possibly be found in a ready-made section at the grocery store.

I was reminded of Metro in a chilling electric moment, the sandwiches and wraps seemed a deja-vu.
Could this really be happening? Even in Canada? Even in my own neighborhood?

This morning I heard an announcement about the drought in the Horn of Africa.
That people were starving, crops were failing, and everyone there was in desperate need of relief aid.
As hundreds of people lay starving and dying of malnutrition there,
Here, what seems like worlds away,
Grocery stores, bakeries and delis are throwing out hundred of dollars of food. 
Every. Single. Night.

What's the point of wasting food? Can't these groceries at least donate the rest?
Send them someplace where the less fortunate could have them?
All it really takes is a trip downtown to see exactly where this food is needed.

What a wasteful world, as others waste away.