The absence of a Good Samaritan law hampers the efforts of individuals and organisations seeking to assist the disadvantaged in Bermuda. One such organisation is The Eliza Doliitle Society whose Daily Bread programme is open to anyone in Bermuda who is food insecure and/or hungry. The programme was launched in 2010 and now provides food for over 1,000 meals each week and is supported by hundreds of dedicated volunteers and generous food and financial donors.

According to Sarah Mardon of TEDS "Currently supermarkets and restaurants donate packaged and tinned foods that are expiring to The Eliza DoLittle Society, which in turns shares it with other Food Banks and meal venues throughout the island.  However, they do not feel able, for fear of the legal ramifications, to donate leftover food from their buffets, or delicatessen counters.  This food is then thrown away."

"We currently have a huge problem with food insecurity. Children are kept home from school because there is nothing to put in there lunch box and their mother is too embarrassed to send them without anything. We are seeing a huge number of young families where both parents still work but their hours have been reduced or there has been a crises - for example, one of the children is ill and although they have medical insurance all the ancillary costs that are not covered have eaten through their savings and some. These people sit next to us on the bus or in the next office cubicle and we would have no reason to think it could happen to them or even us; and yet it has."

Facts About Food Insecurity

• Food insecurity is a global issue. According to the latest FAO global estimates, about 805 million people are chronically undernourished, while at the same time 1.3 billion tons of all food produced is lost in the production cycle or wasted each year.
• The world is producing more than enough food. Recovering just half of what is lost or wasted could feed the world alone.
• Hunger is not limited to developing countries. According to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, hunger exists in every community of the States, with 1 in 6 people struggling to get enough to eat.
• Utilization of food remains the single greatest challenge. Connecting a world of waste to a world of want is necessary to help achieve sustainability.
  

Greenrock are in support of a Good Samaritan law for Bermuda.

To learn more about TEDS and the Daily Bread programme, visit their Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/TheElizaDoLittleSociety