Forgotten Harvest Free Essay Example

Program

Forgotten Harvest is the name of the program, and the link to it is https://www.forgottenharvest.org/ (1). Kirk Mayes is the man behind this program that is dedicated to giving back to his community in Detroit. With the help of volunteers, they are able to give donations to five local charities to feed those in need. The main purpose of this program was specifically centered around being able to give back to the people of Detroit as well as reducing food waste. They were able to do so by focusing their efforts on growing their own and receiving food donations from restaurants and other food chains. Being mindful not only of the people in the community but also of the impact it has on the environment is an important part of this public program. Families are provided with food to help meet their nutritional needs. Households that face food insecurity are targeted and supplied with food. Providing food free of cost to struggling families offers them the support they need to be able to face each day without hunger. Additional programs are provided for kids over the summer, and adult programs offer food after school. 

History

The founder of Forgotten Harvest, Kirk Mayes, grew up in the city of Detroit, a few doors down from where his company is now located. After graduating from Michigan State University, he pondered over what he could do to make a difference for the future generations of his community. He realized that there was a lack of educational opportunities, social development, and community organizations for the black community. Allowing the people to come together to help each other helped fuel this idea. Bringing the community together to help each other and make it better for themselves was also a big motivator. The issue now was figuring out how to start. 

Purpose

Why? Why do you do what you do? to make the community a better place for future generations. That would be along the lines of something Mayes would say. The whole driving force behind the public program is centered around the community and what they could do to change the course of how things run in the future. To achieve a bigger impact, you need to take the focus off yourself and think about what other people need. That’s what Mayes did, focusing instead on how he could make future lives better instead of solely on what he could gain for himself. This way, the community could continue to thrive and fuel younger generations to go on to bigger things. By setting up this public program, Mayes is able to see the widespread impact that his work has and its continued success throughout the coming years ahead. The community is there to help each other out, and providing food is one of the best ways to help families in need. To have your work continue, you need people that are passionate about the work involved. They’ll be able to teach other people this work as well, and future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the program that has been around for years. 

Justification

Taking a look at what this program has accomplished in a year gives us a better picture of how well this program is functioning and working to serve its community. According to the website's home page, the number of volunteer hours that have been fulfilled is 55,001 hours. The amount of food that has been taken as a donation is 51,263,823 pounds. According to the Detroit Free Press, “Forgotten Harvest trucks collected nearly 50 million pounds of food last year” (2). It seems as though Forgotten Harvest isn't exactly forgotten, but harvest suits it pretty well. It continues to provide food to those in need and donates to charities. “It delivers that food daily and free-of-charge to nearly 300 food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless and domestic shelters, homes for children, senior centers and group homes” (2). As it grows to help more people, so does its methods of reducing food waste. Sticking to its original goal, they have collected “perishable food from 800 sources, including grocery stores, fruit and vegetable markets, restaurants, caterers, dairies, farmers, wholesale food distributors and other Health Department-approved sources'' (2). Forgotten Harvest hasn't forgotten the purpose it was created to fulfill. With each year they are continuously meeting the goals they strive to achieve, and the community is a better place because of it. Thanks to Kirk Mayes and the team of volunteers, his dream is able to unfold and cause a positive impact on the lives of younger generations, showing them what a major difference they can make if they work hard enough and, most importantly, if they work together.