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Local restaurant owner turns would-be waste into meals for Nanaimo’s homeless

Dec 5, 2016 | 7:59 PM

NANAIMO — A challenge has been issued to Nanaimo’s food industry to join in on a creative way of diverting wasted product into the hands and stomachs of those in need.

Dish Downtown owner Darcy McBride had a simple idea — take food from his restaurant that would otherwise be bound for the waste bin, find some of Nanaimo’s most hard-up citizens and give them a meal. A video of his adventure handing out the food garnered a strong reaction on social media. Now, McBride is hoping to transform the idea into something that can impact the community he was born and raised in.

“I have the unfortunate task of sometimes discarding unused or about to spoil food items,” said McBride. “Let’s see if we can’t get this food into the hands and the stomachs of some hungry people.”

McBride, 32, has been operating Dish for two years and is just putting the finishing touches on a relocation downtown. He says one thing he has not enjoyed watching change about his city is the increase in the homeless population. 

The numbers back up McBride’s observation. A Feb. 2016 point-in-time homeless count found there were 175 people identified as homeless in Nanaimo. That’s up about 60 from a 2008 count.

McBride says he knows food cost is number one in his industry and he doesn’t want other owners to think he’s boasting that he went out and spent extra money on food to give to those less fortunate.

“I know there’s food waste that goes along with any food establishment,” he said. “All I’m suggesting, you know what let’s be a little bit controversial, ya I want to challenge other restaurants…find a way to either get it into my hands to distribute it or hit the front lines and make a small impact here.”

McBride says he has gone for a walk around downtown Nanaimo with end-of-day salads or nearly-expired food on several occasions, on an inconsistent basis. The people he has met are appreciative for the help.

“I’ve had some that are a little prouder than they need to be and actually declined me and say ‘go find someone hungrier’…these people are fighting, in every sense of the word, and maybe we can give them a round off.”

Conversations with larger, more corporate restaurants haven’t been overly successful, according to McBride. He says he understands local chains have their hands tied by corporate rules surrounding giving away food in that way.

What he’s hoping for is an expanded conversation locally, others to jump on-board and perhaps some formalization working with the city of Nanaimo.

“I’m not claiming to be a professional on how to solve the issues we are currently facing…what I am is not afraid to be the front line person.”

“Maybe we have an area downtown that’s known to the people downtown that they can come and obtain a meal.”

The overall concept has been very successful for the Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes Food Bank. Their food recovery program, working with local grocery stores, sees about to be wasted, partially spoiled or rejected product picked up and offered to food bank users.