Leftover Love, Enoch Pratt Free Library care for the plant and help feed Baltimore community

Every Friday afternoon at Baltimore's Pratt Free Market, people gather to receive groceries that they need.

A partnership between Leftover Love and the Enoch Pratt Free Library provides food from local restaurants to neighbors in need. 

The organization works with more than 30 food donor partners in the Baltimore area and more than 45 food recipient organizations. They look to match food with local businesses and local non-profits, so there is less time in terms of travel for that food.

While tons of leftover food go to waste, the Executive Director Omar Tarabishi is on a mission to get it into the hands of people who need it the most.

"The first time I did a rescue, I walked into a store, and I saw three to four large bags of bagels," Tarabishi said. "Now imagine that there's just one store, so if you multiply that by the different branches, the different bagel places, all the bakeries in the city, there's a lot of leftover waste. So we're just trying to redirect that to make sure people can consume that and use it, instead of it being tossed in the trash."

Helping the environment and community

Keeping food out of the trash can and on the table is a big win for the planet.

Tarabishi said the organization has rescued more than 180,000 pounds of food, which translates to about 220,000 meals for people.

But it also helps the environment, helping with CO2 emissions and protecting the ozone layer.

John Ross not only benefits from the program, but he also helps when he can. He said programs like this make a real difference, with feeding people, reducing waste, and strengthening community.

"It helps me, plus a lot of poor people," Ross said.