In the spirit of our future, we’d like to focus on young people this year, and the impact of climate change and food waste on their livelihoods. 

Currently in the U.S., 13 million youth face food insecurity, that’s one out of every six. An estimated 10 percent of teenage girls and 14 percent of boys report not having enough to eat, and furthermore, these rates are disproportional. The percentages of Black (25.6 percent) and Hispanic (24.3 percent) households with food-insecure children are nearly two times that of white households (13.2 percent), and one out of every four Black teens falls into this category.

Food insecurity takes many shapes and sizes. Someone in this condition may not have access to nutritious meals, they may not be able to afford them, or perhaps worse, they may not have food at all. At the very least, their circumstances are unstable. Food insecurity can lead to many other problems, such as elevated blood pressure or prediabetes, eating disorders, depression, social anxiety, and economic disruption.

Despite these numbers, there’s plenty of food for everyone to eat - it’s just getting wasted. Treating food as waste pollutes the air, squanders resources, and prevents someone - a young person - who needs a meal from eating. 

So, let’s stop doing it.

For Earth Day, we’re asking everyone to donate a dollar to our mission (or more!). One dollar enables Replate to rescue almost two meals, and share them with the community. We serve a variety of nonprofits around the country, including many who work to empower and support young people and their families. 

One dollar’s not a lot. Two meals can change someone’s life.

Don’t believe it’s that easy? Listen to the words of a student from Project Rousseau, who received our donations: 

And if you still need inspiration, we asked elementary school students to help us share the message…Enjoy their creative words and designs, and share with others too. 

To learn more about Replate, visit our website.