More Chocolate, Less Waste: Our Story with Banco de Alimentos Quito (BAQ)
We live in a megadiverse country, surrounded by fertile land that provides us with an abundance of all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We have so many products at our disposal that wasting them has become a habit. In sad contrast, our beautiful country has the second highest rate of chronic child malnutrition in the region. We, who know that we will have food on our table tomorrow, must act in favor of those whose daily concern is access to their next meal.
We can all contribute with small actions, we can become aware of how much we waste, we can plan our shopping with the help of a weekly menu, we can serve correct portions so that we do not throw away daily what is left on the plate. In addition, we can ask ourselves, what would I want them to do for me if I were the one who is hungry every day.
For three years, República del Cacao and the Food Bank of Quito have been working as partners to save food and offer together not only the joy associated with eating delicious chocolate, but also training and motivation to start micro-enterprises. This alliance has allowed us to strengthen actions to be able to say to more than 90,000 Quiteños, "we are here and we are doing everything we can so that at least today, you have a plate of food".
- By Alicia Guevara, Founder BAQ