Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown celebrates 2,670 pounds of donated food

May 01, 2023 at 12:12 am by Staff


As annual international Stop Food Waste Day returns, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and The Nashville Food Project celebrate the 1-year anniversary of their ongoing joint initiative to reduce food waste and feed Nashvillians in need. 

In partnership with Ascension’s food service provider TouchPoint Support Services, the hospital has donated more than 2,670 pounds of food over the past 12 months to The Nashville Food Project, an organization that seeks to address food insecurity in Davidson County by preparing and distributing meals to homeless outreach organizations, after-school programs, adult education classes, and other community groups. 

“Even though the USDA reports that 30 to 40 percent of food in the U.S. is ultimately thrown away, 1 in 7 Nashvillian residents do not consistently have enough to eat,” said Dr. Shubhada Jagasia, president and CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown and West campuses. “We are proud to have joined forces with The Nashville Food Project in their fight against food insecurity and we see this as an important extension of our work to care for the community.”

"Community partners like Ascension Saint Thomas are essential to changing the food system in Nashville by giving quality food a second chance to nourish the residents of our city," said C.J. Sentell, CEO, The Nashville Food Project. "Fully three quarters of the ingredients in our meals come from donations of excess food that would otherwise end up in the landfill."

Food donation is just one aspect of the health system’s comprehensive efforts to reduce waste, which include last year’s installation of digester machines at its hospital campuses in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and McMinnville. Depending upon model size, digesters process between 15 and 100 pounds of food scraps per hour so that liquid soluble waste can be sent to wastewater treatment plants. 

Kitchens across all Ascension Saint Thomas hospital campuses will strive for zero waste in recognition of the annual Stop Food Waste holiday. Middle Tennesseans who would like to tackle this problem in their own homes or workplaces can visit StopFoodWasteDay.com to join the Food Waste Warrior Challenge.

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