Newsletter - 5-01-08

Saturdays at the Market

Scarlet strawberries snuggle shoulder to succulent shoulder in their flats. Blushing mangoes await their turns to be fondled for ripeness. Slender asparagus spears lie in neat rows in crates next to boxes of fat, architectural artichokes. The clock tower slices through the transparent blue sky where nary a wisp of fog dares to drift. Sunshine pours over the bay leaving a mayhem of golden glitter flitting across the waves. Welcome to Spring at the Ferry Building Marketplace Saturday morning Farmer's Market. It's big. It's bustling. It's a blast. People come from all over San Francisco and beyond toting their canvas bags eager to fill them up with some of California's best local produce. Shoppers buy a lot but there's always food leftover. "Bring out your food," comes a basso profondo cry complete with British accent long about 1:15 to 1:30pm as the market begins to shut down. "Bring out your food," repeats the owner of the voice, a tall sandy haired man in a screaming red t-shirt wielding a cart up and down the aisles between the booths. "Wait a second, Keith," says vendor after vendor. "I've got something for you." Keith or, "Food Runner Goldstein" as he often refers to himself, waits as vendor after vendor hands him whatever they couldn't sell that morning and won't last until their next gig. Keith and his trusted assistant, Seth from Katmandu, pile bag after bag, box after box of fresh beautiful produce, eggs, nuts and various other sundries onto the cart before loading it into the Food Runners truck. Some 45 minutes and many loads later, the truck is packed to the gills. The load can be over 1,000 pounds at the height of the summer market. That's 1,000 pounds of edible food that without Keith and Food Runners might otherwise be thrown away or composted. After they’ve canvassed the entire market, including several of the shops inside the Ferry Building, Keith and Seth from Katmandu climb into the truck and set out to make their deliveries to various shelters and soup kitchens about town. The Saturday Market run takes 3-4 hours. Saturday after Saturday. Week after week. Year after year. Keith does it. He's been doing it for fifteen years! Keith is a VOLUNTEER. As if his work for Food Runners weren't philanthropy enough, Keith who first went to the Himalayas years ago only to fall in love with the area and its people, is also the founder and president of S.E.E.D.S.* a nonprofit organization providing relief to some of Nepal's poorest villages. In addition, Keith is the owner of Everest Waterproofing & Restoration in San Francisco and as such he has provided jobs to many Tibetan refugees in the Bay Area. If you'd like to see Food Runner Goldstein in action, head down to the Embarcadero one Saturday and stroll the outdoor market between 1-2pm. Just follow the sound of Keith's plaintive cry, "bring out your food" and you'll find him alongside Seth from Katmandu, both in their red t-shirts, encouraging the vendors to load them up with "food for the people." Walk up and shake Keith's hand or check out the load of fresh food he's collecting for donation. Keith's a gas. You'll love meeting him as much as he'll enjoy meeting you. Keith is a character. Keith is a Food Runner, but mostly, Keith is a local hero.

Food Runners picked up and delivered 114,200 pounds of food in the month of April. Volunteer performed 785 runs and the truck did 287. Please welcome new donors, Hotel Kabuki, Veteran's Equity Association Food Panty, Pres A Vi Restaurant and Back to Earth Catering, Inc. Pre A Vi restaurant is donating three times a week on a regular basis and Back to Earth Catering, an East Bay based company, donated over 600 boxed lunches over three consecutive days following an event at Masonic Auditorium. Way to go! Please welcome new volunteers Dede T. and Michael M. both of whom have been active since the day they joined.

Does your local restaurateur or grocer site liability as the main reason they throw away their excess food instead of donating it? Do you hear the same thing from the caterers at events you attend? Many food professionals are unaware that they are protected by federal and state laws when donating fresh or prepared foods in good faith to an organization like Food Runners. Donors are protected under the USDA's Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, Public Law, 104-210 as well as California Civil Code Section 1714.25. Spread the word. Donating to Food Runners is safe and it's legal!

To learn more about Keith's organization, S.E.E.D.S. visit www.nepalseeds.org.

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