Feeding the 5,000 event surpasses goal

How hard is it to feed 5,000 people? According to Feeding the 5,000, which shattered that goal on Sunday, it’s relatively easy.

The inaugural Feeding the 5,000 event at Olympic Plaza on Thursday put meals in the bellies of 6,750 people while saving more than 1,000 kilograms of food from the landfill.

The event aimed to create discussion and dialogue about food waste. Food was donated by local farms, grocery stores and wholesalers, and put together in creative concoctions by Calgary chefs led by SAIT instructor Andrew Hewsom.

“The successes were the amount of food that came in and the support that we got, especially from some of the local farms,” said Hewsom.

The event was made possible by the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers, who were prepping earlier in the week, Hewsom said.

Leftovers from Feeding the 5,000 were donated to the DropIn Centre, Alpha House and the Dream Centre.