Have any cabbage to spare?
UC Merced’s culinary team and local Merced restaurants and businesses will join together for what is being called the “Salvage Social Hour” on Tuesday, March 19, from 5 p.m to 7:30 p.m., at the Partisan, 432 West Main St., in Merced.
Reserve your spot, and enjoy “upcycled” appetizers and learn about food waste prevention.
Alongside local businesses that include Taste of Little India, J&R Tacos, Trevino’s Mexican Restaurant, Marie’s Mexican Kitchen and Sam’s Café, the culinary team from UC Merced will be creating delicious appetizers.
In addition, they will be offering samples of Crumb Trail Ale, a beer that incorporates the ends of bread loaves in the brewing process.
The Partisan is opening their beautifully remodeled pub for the event and their bar will be open for all of your cocktail needs during this Salvage Social Hour. Image Masters’ UC Merced Bobcat pint glasses are available for the first 90 guests!
Proceeds from the event will benefit UC Merced’s Bobcat Pantry which serves “food insecure” students. Studies show that hunger has a direct impact on student’s ability to focus on school.
With 61 percent of UC students experiencing food insecurity, according to Mitch Vanagten, the executive chef of UC Merced’s dining services, the Bobcat Pantry serves as a critical source in providing food and connecting students to additional basic needs resources.
To reserve your spot at the Salvage Social Hour, please make a tax-deductible donation to UC Merced’s Bobcat Pantry by going online to the website: giving.ucmerced.edu. Once there, click on the tab “Browse Funds,” and then scroll down the list to Food Security Programs to make a donation. There is no set amount needed to register, but for every $10 you donate, you connect UC students with 10 nutritious meals. Suppose you give $20 — That’s a typical restaurant bill for one person. For the price of one meal, you could support 20 meals for a student in need.
Don’t miss the chance to support student success at UC Merced.
‘Glean’ New Deal …
Meanwhile … The Bobcat Eats Food Waste Awareness and Prevention Program has been preventing food waste through Merced County since May and are looking for more volunteers and businesses to serve as food rescue and food distribution partners.
Residents can also register their farms and trees for gleaning. Thus far, the record haul for one day is 704 pounds of food saved.
Organizers are seeking farmers, gardeners and backyard growers with surplus food. If you have extra food and you would like volunteers from the Food Bank to come out and glean (harvest) that food, sign up online at: mercedgleaning.org. They also need volunteers to harvest the food. If interested, you can sign up at mercedgleaning.org as well.
The program is also working to create new food distribution sites throughout the county. If you are a business or organization that works with vulnerable populations and you would like to serve as a distribution site, please email: [email protected].
Lastly, advocates aim to save food from going to waste by rescuing food from grocery stores, markets, farmers’ markets and more and then bringing it to the Food Bank and pantry partners. If you would like to donate food, please email: [email protected].