A new 'pay what you feel' grocery market is helping food security in Vancouver's Olympic Village.
The Rescued Food Market is open every Friday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at 340 W. 2nd Ave.
Shoppers of all income levels are welcome; perishable food is offered in exchange for a donation of any value.
Customers are encouraged to bring their own bags, but free reusable tote bags are available on-site.
A community fridge will also be placed in front of the building in the coming weeks to complement the food market.
The market's food items, which would otherwise be thrown out, have been 'rescued' from local grocers, wholesalers, and farms. Common reasons for food wastage include overstocking, cancelled orders, and impending best-before dates.
"A best-before date is not an expiration date; it's more about a guarantee on the texture and the taste and the feel of the food. It's more just protecting the brand and the guarantee of how they intend it to be experienced, but it's not necessarily a safety thing," explains manager Maddie Hague.
The initiative was started by the Food Stash Foundation. The charity gathers roughly 70,000 pounds of surplus food each month and distributes it to charities and Vancouver households experiencing food insecurity.
While the Rescued Food Market's pay structure fluctuates based on individual shoppers, financial support is essential to keep it operating.
"The purpose of this food market isn't to fundraise or make money, the purpose is to have this forward-facing public educational space. But we really do hope that we will be able to raise some funds to keep it going," says Hague.
According to Metro Vancouver, 65,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste is discarded in the Lower Mainland every year.
