The Leftovers Foundation | Where Everyone Loves Leftovers

If you have been following Devon + Lang’s story thus far, you will be familiar with our #SupportTheGoods initiative. Being involved with our community and supporting local organizations and people who make an impact, is a true passion of ours. The United Way and Nations Vision are just a couple of examples of recent collaborations we have done. We are excited to share with you the story of our latest partner, The Leftovers Foundation.

The Leftovers Foundation: What Makes Them Great.

The Leftovers Foundation is an organization based in Western Canada, with operations in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, that focuses on reducing food waste within their communities. The goal for the foundation is to ensure edible food is kept out of the landfill and instead is redirected into the hands of people who need it most. In 2019 alone they managed to save over 311,000 pounds of food.

The stats on food waste in Canada are truly astonishing. According to the Leftovers Foundation, 58% of the food that is produced in Canada is wasted annually, which is equal to 11.2 million metric tonnes! The financial impact is equally jaw dropping, with food waste in Canada costing an estimated $49.5 billion dollars. To put things in perspective for our Calgary readers, The City of Calgary estimates that food waste accounts for 36% of material going into Calgary landfills from single family homes.

So How Does the Leftovers Foundation Combat Food Waste in Their Communities?

The Leftovers Foundation partners with local restaurants, bakeries, grocers and distributors to redirect food (that would normally head to a landfill) to local service agencies - who make sure it gets into the hand of people who need it most. Once these connections are made, volunteers can then use the Leftovers Foundation app to see pick up and drop off locations in their communities. Volunteering couldn’t be easier with their app! It even includes a built-in navigation function that shows you exactly how to get to your pickup and drop off locations.

How Can You Help?

Picking up and delivering food isn’t the only way that you can help out. The Leftovers Foundation also runs an initiative called Home Harvest Season. If you grow any of your own produce at home and your harvest will be too much for you and your family to use, the Leftovers Foundations will be glad to come to you to harvest and pick it up. They ensure all of your hard work during the growing season does not go to waste and gets to the people who need it the most.

Help Us Help Them.

Devon + Lang is proud to include the Leftovers Foundation in the growing list of local charitable organizations we have supported through our #SupportTheGoods initiative. We were already very proud of our comfortable and breathable 3-Layer Masks keeping our fellow Canadians safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, being able to help out our community at the same time is just the cherry on top! 15% of all mask sales are going to the Leftovers Foundation, with a goal of a $10,000 donation well within reach!

If you live in the Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg regions, please check out our friends at the Leftovers Foundation for an easy way to make a huge, tangible effect in your community and #SupportTheGoods!