Sunday, May 3, 2009

Today is my one-year wedding anniversary, and so it got me thinking this week back to my wedding and reception.

Strangely enough, I couldn't help but remember all the leftover food we had to haul back to my parents' house after the reception.

There were gallon-size bags of celery, carrot sticks, radishes and broccoli florets leftover from the deluxe veggie tray. We (or more accurately, my parents) also lugged home several of those disposable catering trays of chicken breasts, beef tips, green beans and some kind of potato dish.

We even got to take home the unused salad dressings. And then there were also the half-eaten cans of nuts and party mix.

My new husband and I left the next day for our honeymoon, so there wasn't much opportunity for us to pick at the leftovers. My parents tried to eat up as much as they could over the next week -- and even give some away -- but they barely made a dent.

My mom admitted to me when we returned to Key West that she ended up throwing all the remaining food away. It felt like such a shame, especially considering how much I spent to provide all that food (OK, again, my parents spent).

"What a waste," I remember thinking -- and also wishing she could have magically beamed some of that food to my fridge, which was empty from being out of town for two weeks.

In a strange coincidence, a press release landed on my desk this week about a 2008 law that allows restaurants and any licensed food-service establishment to donate leftover food to charitable nonprofit organizations with no liability.

Previously, restaurants and caterers weren't able to donate leftovers because they could be held liable if someone ended up getting sick from eating the food. But the Jack Davis Florida Restaurant Lending a Helping Hand Act, signed into law in July 2008, eliminated that possibility. The act says that donors cannot be subject to criminal penalty or civil damages arising from the condition of the food unless the injury is caused by gross negligence, recklessness or intentional misconduct by the donor.

The act is named for Jack Davis, an 11-year-old from South Florida who brought the legislation to fruition after learning that restaurants throw leftover food away rather than donate it.

Local restaurants who are interested in donating occasionally or even on a daily basis, or anyone who would like to volunteers to help deliver the food to nonprofits to distribute to people in need, can call Mimi Stafford at 305-296-5947 or Maggie Webster at 305-294-7956. Both women are spearheading this effort locally on behalf of the Southernmost Homeless Assistance League and the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition.

Anne-Margaret Swary is The Citizen's business editor. Her column runs exclusively each Sunday. She can be reached at amswary@keysnews.com.