Don’t waste food, donate it

Have you ever stayed in a vacation rental and bought or brought more food to stock the kitchen than you actually ended up using? Maybe you ate more often at local attractions than you planned, or just couldn’t drive past great local restaurants. (Yeah, us too.) And if you’re on the owner-manager end of that situation, perhaps you hate to toss food left by previous tenants. 

Now, those leftovers can bless local families! Leftovers for Locals is a charitable organization created to rescue leftover items from Tri-Lakes area vacationing guests as they're leaving town and donate those items to the local Blessing Boxes, food pantries and other programs that support the underprivileged and food-insecure families in our communities across Stone and Taney counties. 

Leftovers for Locals website

Leftovers for Locals will provide a refrigerator magnet for rental units, with a phone number for guests to call and set an appointment for volunteers to pick up the items. There will also be vehicles parked on each end of 76 Country Blvd. (“the Strip”) for those who forgot to call. 

Leftovers for Locals is being coordinated by Gena Hedgpeth, familiar to many people around the area for her work coordinating the annual Branson Prayer March and helping with other good causes. Based on a simple local survey, Gena found that about 7% of nightly rental tenants have leftover food items they either donate or throw away. Although some management companies encourage housekeepers to take items they will use, many items are still left behind, and with nearly 10,000 rental units in the Tri-Lakes area, that 7% has the potential to make a real difference for local families who have trouble budgeting to meet their food needs each month. 

Gena has been working to contact area property management companies and rental owners, as well as organizations that could benefit from the donations and help get them to families, but if she hasn’t spoken with you yet, she would love to connect with you and provide you with the refrigerator magnets. Visit www.leftoversforlocals.org, check out the Facebook page or call 417-373-3777. This is also a great volunteer opportunity for anyone who can help pick up the donations. 

Don’t waste it; donate it!