Local nonprofits pool their resources to feed the world

World hunger isn't a food shortage problem. World hunger is a logistical difficulty, a supply problem.

Working together, a pair of local nonprofit organizations have come up with a solution that is making a real difference in addressing the global problem. The key to their successful solution is an innovative approach to the process of food dehydration.

"The problem isn't that the world doesn't have enough food; it's the distribution," said Jeremy Frith, the CEO of Barnabas Aid, an international nonprofit headquartered in Lancaster. "We're trying to address that problem. It's a distribution issue, but it's also an educational issue. We need a change of mindset. We have so much food and people don't think about it, and when it goes into landfills, it creates problems. That food could be feeding somebody."

Near the end of 2022, Barnabas Aid, which is located at 80 Abbeyville Road, Lancaster, approached Blessings of Hope, 500 Becker Road, Leola, about the possibility of donating a $90,000, 20-square-foot commercial food dehydration unit to its ministry. Fresh fruits and vegetables are placed in the unit, which preserves the produce's nutritional value and extends its shelf life by five years.

From the process, the organizations concocted a dehydrated soup mix that can provide one meal for up to 12 people.

"Our ministry's mission is to help suffering Christians around the world," said Frith. "The goal is to get food to places where it's basically nonexistent. We're feeding people who need food. We're doing it because we're directed to do so in the Bible. We want to help as many people as possible. The suffering in the world is getting worse. We have a duty to help our brothers and sisters the best we can."

In November of 2023, the Barnabas Aid-Blessings of Hope collaboration sent out its initial container load of donated food - valued at $250,000 - to Haiti. The second container load of donated food is currently being prepared for shipment to Cuba.

"In the United States, an estimated 80 billion pounds of food is wasted each year, which equates to 242 pounds per person," said Frith, a resident of Lancaster. "Forty percent of America's annual food supply is wasted. When we go to a restaurant, we get huge portions of food. But it's not just a United States problem. A lot of food is wasted in the Western world. Globally, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year."

Frith said that Blessings of Hope receives so much donated food from farmers, supermarkets and distributors that it is sometimes forced to turn it away. Unused food usually ends up as animal feed or is dumped in landfills.

"We knew the partnership would work," said Frith. "Blessings of Hope has so much food coming in. A lot of it is food that's going to go by the wayside if not used."

More than just work, the partnership between Barnabas Aid and Blessings of Hope has blossomed. It's a joint venture that has produced a win-win situation.

"It's been great to have this partnership," said Frith. "Blessings of Hope has the facilities, and they also have the volunteers. We have the international connections. We know where the food is needed. It enables our participants to realize they are really making a difference. It's a way for Americans to feel they're part of the solution, not part of the problem."

"Now what we want to do is scale this up," Frith added.

For additional information about Barnabas Aid, go to http://www.barnabasaid.org/us.