Roughly 25 tons of leftover food from major events at the TD Garden used to go straight to compost.
Now, more than 16 tons is potentially being saved as the Boston Bruins and TD Garden are using the leftover food to feed the hungry at the Boston Rescue Mission, according to The Boston Globe.
As part of a nationwide initiative to help feed the hungry with leftovers from events at major arenas, as opposed to wasting what isn’t sold, TD Garden has been donating its leftovers to the Boston Rescue Mission since last October. This includes foods such as lasagna, pizza, salad, sausage and hot dogs.
"It's like a big, giant doggie bag," Zielinski told the Globe. "It's a good feeling to know that they're using it."
The idea to donate leftovers from major events at arenas across the country started with Syd Mandelbaum, a former consultant to the Center for Blood Research Institute of Harvard Medical School.
In 1994, he asked rock bands to agree in their contracts to donate any leftovers to feed the hungry. From this, Mandelbaum founded "Rock and Wrap It Up!," which works with more than 160 bands, hotels, colleges and universities and sports franchises.
"It's a labor of love, and people eat," Mandelbaum said to the Globe.
Starting this season, the 30 teams in the National Hockey League, including the Boston Bruins, joined his antipoverty efforts.
The Boston Celtics and other events at the Garden joined in on the Bruins efforts.
Anthony Dabney, head of housekeeping for the mission, who picks up the food at the Garden, told the Globe that the food is for "anyone in need" and that the Garden’s food is as well-preserved as any of the food donations the mission receives.
See the MSNBC video below on the Rock and Wrap It Up! program.
