28 | JULY 1 • 2021

OUR COMMUNITY

A

s Congregation Beth
Ahm’s project chair
Debra Darvick fit-
tingly stated, this was a situa-
tion where “too many cooks do
not spoil the sauce.”
The situation was an inspir-
ing one — Metro Food Rescue,
a local food rescue and redis-
tribution organization, held a
batch cooking event at Beth
Ahm in West Bloomfield on
June 22, before taking the
cooked meals to City Covenant
Church in the Brightmoor
neighborhood of Detroit.
Chad Techner, founder of
Metro Food Rescue, partnered
with Beth Ahm’s Tikkun Olam/
Social Action Team to make
the event happen, with the help
of about 10 volunteers.
The rescued food included
plant-based kosher sausages,
tomato sauce and vegetables,
along with garlic bread to be
served with the main course.
“We’re going to be taking it
and making pasta that’s going
to be served at the church,
which serves approximately
150 people five days a week,
and this is going to be the meal
they serve tonight,” Techner
said.
Techner said the food they
rescued to cook with came
from a combination of places,
including Sam’s Club and mul-
tiple pantries.
Last year, Metro Food
Rescue was able to save over

600,000 pounds of food direct-
ed to landfill and redistribute it
to community organizations in
need. The organization rescues
food five days a week at this
point.
Metro Food Rescue’s regular
efforts include dropping off
about 2,000 pounds of produce
and 400 loaves of bread to
Temple Israel’s food pantry on
weeks they distribute, and sup-
plying 100% of the food that
the Temple Kol Ami pantry
gives out each week.
“I find it unconscionable
that we waste 40% of the food
in this country and people are

going hungry at the same time,”
Techner said. “It feels amazing
to be a part of the solution.”
Metro Food Rescue part-
nered with Hazon from its
inception in early 2020, with
Hazon playing an integral
role in getting them to where
they currently are. As of April,
though, Metro Food Rescue
has been a stand-alone organi-
zation, which Techner says was
a long-term goal.
“Things have evolved quite
a bit,” Techner said. “Hazon is
still helpful in an advisory role,
and we are so fortunate to have
had their partnership from the

beginning to get where we are.”
David Goodman, Beth
Ahm’s executive director, said
the congregation was thrilled to
take part in a project like this.
After a year of virtual mania,
Goodman was especially happy
to see an event helping others
taking place in person.
“So much of what we do as
a congregation is predicated
on relationships and human
interaction, something which is
lacking over Zoom,” Goodman
said.
“So, to have people come
back for a program like this, it’s
extra special.”

Beth Ahm volunteers
prepare dinner for
Detroit’s Brightmoor
community.

Rescued Food

DANNY SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER

TOP: Beth Ahm Tikkun Olam
volunteers Sharona Shapiro and
Howard Dembs look over the rescued
food with Chad Techner (center).
LOWER LEFT: Project chair Debra
Darvick is one of the cooks. LOWER
RIGHT: The Beth Ahm team of Cathy
Lichtman, Sharona Shapiro, Julie
Englender, Bob Levine, Debi King, Tim
Zwickl and Debra Darvick assist Chad
Techner.