My findings from last night's dive. Organic honey wheat bread? Turbinado sugar? Potatoes, peppers, yellow squash, spinach, organic cauliflower? Flowers? What?! From a dumpster? Why is it all thrown away, wasted??
I have a friend who is bolder than I can ever be, and constantly inspires me to wander outside my comfort zone. She doesn't hesitate for a second when diving, even in broad daylight, with a street-full of cars zooming by. A month ago, at 11pm on a chilly night in small Colorado town, I sat in my van, contemplating whether or not I should see what was in the Safeway dumpster. I was so incredibly nervous. By going in there, I would be entering into a stereotype society finds disgusting, or takes pity on. I was worried I would be caught, mid-act, handcuffed, and locked in a cell, accused of trespassing. But, most of all, I was worried I could never be bold, and do something that would be considered totally crazy to my younger self.
My heart, beating fast, kept me alert as I stepped out of my van and speedily crept toward the prize. I peeked inside, and saw bags upon bags, and nothing too exciting. I dug around a little and to my surprise, discovered a bunch of organic, packaged greens.. baby spinach, kale, and mixed lettuce. Collecting the goods, I sprinted back to van and laughed out loud, so proud of myself.
A month later, in a small town in Utah, I walk over to the dumpster with little hesitation. I don't feel worried about being caught, because I'm not doing anything wrong. I spend more time searching, and end up finding so many things, and often organic goods, that are thrown away because they're expiring in a few days, weeks, months, or simply unwanted for no logical reason. It's not that I can't afford to buy food. I can, and I still do. But, I'm happy that I can contribute to preventing waste in our society. Even if it's the tiniest bit.