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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A mother-son duo is turning surplus food from local food establishments into healthy, free meals.
Cameron and Ellen Macleish started the nonprofit 360 Eats during the pandemic and delivered meals to people in the community. They use extra food from local grocery stores, farms and restaurants that they partner with to create the meals.
“We thought we would create a bridge between the issues of food waste and food insecurity and solve two issues, major issues, in our community at the exact same time,” Cameron said.
They got the food truck in 2022 thanks to a grant from Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, and have been expanding to neighborhoods in Tampa Bay ever since. They just launched their latest location at the James B. Sanderlin Family Center in St. Pete thanks to a grant from Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete and Orlando Health Bayfront.
“We target areas that are experiencing food insecurity. I guess the technical term is food deserts, areas that lack access to affordable, nutritious foods,” Cameron said.
“A lot of them are juggling between jobs and taking kids to school and after-care programs. They don’t have time to cook. So, a lot of them are relying on fast food and things that are quick and easy and, you know, that just get the job done. So, to be able to get fast food that is also nutritious and delicious and chef-prepared and served with dignity is a game changer,” he said.
Cameron said they’re looking for volunteers to help them cook and pick up the food they use for the meals. They serve around 400 meals per week, he said.
“At the end of the day, it all boils down to community and supporting each other, and that’s why we started this because we believe in our community, and we believe that together we can truly make a difference and have an impact and actually create a just and sustainable food system here in the Tampa Bay community,” Cameron said.
The 360 Eats food truck will be at the James B. Sanderlin Family Center at 2335 22nd Avenue South in St. Pete every Wednesday all summer from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The nonprofit also just launched a culinary apprenticeship program with the nonprofit Ready For Life that works with people aging out of the foster care system.
“The idea is to get someone who has barriers to employment, for whatever reason, in the kitchen with professional chefs and to develop them into a chef, develop all the skills and the and the experience that they need to where they could walk out of that internship and land a job as a chef in the culinary world,” Cameron said.
You can find the food truck’s other locations and its schedule by clicking here.
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