TRAVERSE CITY -- Go to a food pantry, and you're likely to leave with bags full of canned and boxed groceries.
They're easy to donate because virtually everyone has them, and they're given away in part because they last longer than produce.
But food that comes from cans and boxes -- heavily processed and often full of preservatives -- isn't as nutritious.
A group of area community leaders is working to change things.
The fledgling Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan coalition will collect fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products close to expiration from grocery stores and drop them at area food banks beginning Oct. 1.
The idea, founders said, is to help families in need create more balanced meals. Recipients will be urged to cook the food within days of receiving it so it doesn't spoil.
"It's still good. It's just beyond its useful life on the shelf," board member Bruce Byl said. "We all share one common goal, and that is to minimize, if not eliminate, hunger in the area."
A part-time driver will transport food between grocery stores and pantries, and will be the coalition's only paid employee. Applications are being accepted and pay will depend on experience.
Volunteers will make up the bulk of the operation, to start first in Grand Traverse County. Leelanau, Benzie, Antrim and Kalkaska counties could be added later.
A local grocery chain already has signed on, but organizers would not reveal which one. They said the chain told them it did not yet want to be identified.
The eventual goal is to add other retailers, as well as restaurants and caterers, Byl said. Donated items will need to meet state health laws and are tax-deductible.
Several area organizations gave startup funding, including founding members Faith Reformed Church and the Presbyterian Church of Traverse City. The program also received a $5,000 planning grant from Rotary Charities of Traverse City.
The program could cost as much as $60,000 a year to operate, said Cecil McNally, executive director of Goodwill Industries of Northern Michigan.
It is based on a program in the Detroit area, called Forgotten Harvest, that in 18 years has grown to include at least 375 donors and more than 700,000 pounds of food a month.
Local organizers are conscious of that success, but say they will wait to see what kind of traction a program could have here.
"It's going to be a while before we know what the impact really can be," McNally said. "It would be nice to think that it could provide food to every pantry in the area, but we don't know how realistic all those things are at this point."
Still, those who work at area food banks are optimistic.
Not only will needy families be able to eat nutritious meals, but fewer items will be thrown out, said Norm Bamberg, operations director at the Father Fred Foundation in Traverse City.
"Food that still could be used was being discarded," Bamberg said. "It's a good deal."
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