From unused ingredients to day-old pastries, food waste is a major issue across our country. That’s why we work with organizations like Berkeley Food Network to help create Hub Meals—vegetarian dishes that are crafted from recovered food. They support people in need with nutritious ingredients and a warm meal that’s made with love.
At Thistle, we are driven to support the communities we serve to get and stay healthy. One of the ways we do so includes teaming up with the Berkeley Food Network, a non-profit organization that distributes sustainably-sourced food to help feed communities in need. Our partnership helps produce hundreds of nutritious meals weekly for those that need support, including homebound individuals who do not have the ability to cook regularly due to chronic health issues, seniors, and families.
In 2022, Berkeley Food Network used 17,602 lbs of Thistle ingredients to produce nutritious meals for communities in need (about 60% of meals that Berkeley Food Network distributed this year). Keep reading to learn more about the incredible work the Berkeley Food Network is doing and how our ingredients become delicious and nutritious meals for communities in need.
The Berkeley Food Network is dedicated to serving the San Francisco Bay Area communities of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Oakland with high-quality, sustainably sourced food that they distribute through their innovative and equitable programs. As an organization focused on sustainability, they are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and food waste.
Through their Food Recovery Program, the Berkeley Food Network recovers edible and nutritious food from its partners—then, it’s distributed through its on-site and mobile pantry programs, redistributed to one of several partner organizations that operate their own pantry programs, or used in the production of meals at the Berkeley Food Network’s Hub Kitchen. These are nutritious vegetarian meals that are individually packaged and frozen for easy reheat and distributed through its pantry programs and grocery delivery programs.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d581cdab5df918503634c95/63adf6f53ba6d14598fa7e88_4UntEv-C8kH75XfDN7exrwcmdx8E5aDV2r3Znwt6PRl0OSJU-T8Ojzfp5nxzGr52ah8Oc_0rJZEiEoJRMlRE3bPj-bQc-gaJonlkbRuShK3wnDKrKhbe9a7RyPxyMgnCOdIM1V0PSCh75QXHxET0O7pMZJ07xb9fYXz_6qxwZvRe3ELTsO6n_T2l425leQ.jpeg)
Recovered Food comes in many forms: day-old bagels, past-ripe bananas, or generous donations from meal producing companies like Thistle. According to the Berkeley Food Network, we are one of their most reliable sources of healthy, high-quality ingredients that range from roasted brussel sprouts to turmeric jasmine rice, and sesame chicken to adobo pinto beans. A vast majority of the ingredients Thistle donates to the Berkeley Food Network goes to its Hub Kitchen, where an army of skilled volunteers combine them with other recovered and donated food to create Hub Meals. While the majority of these dishes remain vegetarian, the program has recently begun to portion, package, and freeze animal proteins for their clients to select from.
The Hub Meals program is one of the organization’s most innovative and successful endeavors, combining sustainability while addressing food insecurity. The Berkeley Food Network primarily distributes Hub Meals to homebound individuals who do not have the ability to cook regularly due to chronic health issues, seniors, and families through its mobile pantries and grocery home delivery programs. Many of the community members the Berkeley Food Network supports come to rely on these meals as a valuable source of nutrition and often look forward to the ever changing menu of Hub Meals.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d581cdab5df918503634c95/63adf70f55eda75b7d317770_AVRhcfYI7c9KXwAMOTkj_hUnV47HEvB3dqdnH9CLWgCiQLEgpze8ahKeiKsXpnpPuecSdjRGipmXtK-AbT14QS-aKA7G4-cUyNzJr7-ihRjpcdYKsjTFAHEOEZQJL6Y9wHbd4O7kbJyLPJfx_c8Ur4GJd-SkGRUKjZm4qNv5T6L-Oq1svAZc8QtgNifmjg.jpeg)
We are honored to work in such close partnership with the Berkeley Food Network to help feed communities and overcome food insecurity.
From unused ingredients to day-old pastries, food waste is a major issue across our country. That’s why we work with organizations like Berkeley Food Network to help create Hub Meals—vegetarian dishes that are crafted from recovered food. They support people in need with nutritious ingredients and a warm meal that’s made with love.
At Thistle, we are driven to support the communities we serve to get and stay healthy. One of the ways we do so includes teaming up with the Berkeley Food Network, a non-profit organization that distributes sustainably-sourced food to help feed communities in need. Our partnership helps produce hundreds of nutritious meals weekly for those that need support, including homebound individuals who do not have the ability to cook regularly due to chronic health issues, seniors, and families.
In 2022, Berkeley Food Network used 17,602 lbs of Thistle ingredients to produce nutritious meals for communities in need (about 60% of meals that Berkeley Food Network distributed this year). Keep reading to learn more about the incredible work the Berkeley Food Network is doing and how our ingredients become delicious and nutritious meals for communities in need.
The Berkeley Food Network is dedicated to serving the San Francisco Bay Area communities of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Oakland with high-quality, sustainably sourced food that they distribute through their innovative and equitable programs. As an organization focused on sustainability, they are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and food waste.
Through their Food Recovery Program, the Berkeley Food Network recovers edible and nutritious food from its partners—then, it’s distributed through its on-site and mobile pantry programs, redistributed to one of several partner organizations that operate their own pantry programs, or used in the production of meals at the Berkeley Food Network’s Hub Kitchen. These are nutritious vegetarian meals that are individually packaged and frozen for easy reheat and distributed through its pantry programs and grocery delivery programs.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d581cdab5df918503634c95/63adf6f53ba6d14598fa7e88_4UntEv-C8kH75XfDN7exrwcmdx8E5aDV2r3Znwt6PRl0OSJU-T8Ojzfp5nxzGr52ah8Oc_0rJZEiEoJRMlRE3bPj-bQc-gaJonlkbRuShK3wnDKrKhbe9a7RyPxyMgnCOdIM1V0PSCh75QXHxET0O7pMZJ07xb9fYXz_6qxwZvRe3ELTsO6n_T2l425leQ.jpeg)
Recovered Food comes in many forms: day-old bagels, past-ripe bananas, or generous donations from meal producing companies like Thistle. According to the Berkeley Food Network, we are one of their most reliable sources of healthy, high-quality ingredients that range from roasted brussel sprouts to turmeric jasmine rice, and sesame chicken to adobo pinto beans. A vast majority of the ingredients Thistle donates to the Berkeley Food Network goes to its Hub Kitchen, where an army of skilled volunteers combine them with other recovered and donated food to create Hub Meals. While the majority of these dishes remain vegetarian, the program has recently begun to portion, package, and freeze animal proteins for their clients to select from.
The Hub Meals program is one of the organization’s most innovative and successful endeavors, combining sustainability while addressing food insecurity. The Berkeley Food Network primarily distributes Hub Meals to homebound individuals who do not have the ability to cook regularly due to chronic health issues, seniors, and families through its mobile pantries and grocery home delivery programs. Many of the community members the Berkeley Food Network supports come to rely on these meals as a valuable source of nutrition and often look forward to the ever changing menu of Hub Meals.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5d581cdab5df918503634c95/63adf70f55eda75b7d317770_AVRhcfYI7c9KXwAMOTkj_hUnV47HEvB3dqdnH9CLWgCiQLEgpze8ahKeiKsXpnpPuecSdjRGipmXtK-AbT14QS-aKA7G4-cUyNzJr7-ihRjpcdYKsjTFAHEOEZQJL6Y9wHbd4O7kbJyLPJfx_c8Ur4GJd-SkGRUKjZm4qNv5T6L-Oq1svAZc8QtgNifmjg.jpeg)
We are honored to work in such close partnership with the Berkeley Food Network to help feed communities and overcome food insecurity.