Giving Back Podcast

Maria Rose Belding is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the MEANS Database, a food pantry communication system that connects food suppliers and users together. This year alone, MEANS Database has delivered over 1.7 million pounds of food to those who truly, truly needed it. By supplying centers, shelters, and other non-profit agencies with food, MEANS Database allows these places to use more of their budget to help, and focus on, those in need. Learn more about Maria and her story on today’s show!    Key Takeaways: [4:05] Nobody wants food to go to waste. So why does it? Maria set out to change that with MEANS Database.  [4:40] How did MEANS get started? [10:00] Maria and her interns made 10,000 phone calls from a list that was supposed to be food pantries. Well, more than 20% of those numbers were disconnected. They were only able to reach about less than 10% of those 10,000 numbers. [14:00] The crazy thing is that the United States has the food. We are not in a humanitarian disaster. But for some rea