Asia

Angels in the kitchen

Bonnie Chu

Modern society has evolved into one that accepts food waste as the norm, but, which imposes unnecessary pressure on the environment.

Food Angel is a food rescue and assistance programme launched in 2011 with the "Waste Not, Hunger Not” mission. The programme uses edible surplus food from different sectors of the food industry in Hong Kong that would otherwise be disposed of as waste. Following strict safety protocols, the used food items are then prepared as nutritious hot meals in their central kitchens and redistributed to serve underprivileged communities in Hong Kong.

There were 12 volunteers from Aspen Asia who enthusiastically visited one of the kitchens on 12 July and prepared 1 000 hot healthy meal boxes for distribution to different community centres for those in need. It is an efficient operation in a compact space with a congenial atmosphere. The Aspen team completed the meal boxes in two hours which ensured that hot meals were delivered to the hungry. The meal boxes contained well-balanced food items and most importantly, the love from the donors.

Although the kitchen was a hot 33ºC, the team found this to be a meaningful and interesting experience. In addition to employee participation, a range of foodstuffs was also donated to the Food Angels.