Rewired, Not Retired
Day one, He meets with Community Foundation program staff about his idea to reclaim food and provide nourishment to people in need. Fast forward to today, and the program has taken off in several Genesee County Communities. All thanks to a one-man show, Harold Steinman, just a kid from the north end of Flint.
Now a retired optometrist, Harold spends his days traveling from food source to community center, providing nutritious, prepared meals that can be frozen and given away at a later date. He was self-taught about food rescue programs from the Washington D.C. Central Kitchen and Detroit Mercy. His desire is to rescue some of the 40 percent of food that is thrown away every day in the United States.
“In this community, there are great people who participate and do help,” Harold explains. “I live by the motto, I’m not retired, I’m rewired. There are still plenty of things to be done.”
Harold’s first food rescue program began in Davison where his eye clinic was located. Leftover lunch meals from the Davison School District were repackaged and frozen at Outreach East, the local food pantry. Each week, individuals pick up the prepared food and reheat at their own convenience. The Davison Community Fund supported the program with a $1,583 grant to help pay for repackaging supplies.
Enthusiasm grew and the program has since expanded in Flushing, Grand Blanc, Swartz Creek and Goodrich. The model is the same. Reclaim the food from the local school districts, and share with local food pantries where it can be redistributed.
Most recently, McLaren Flint’s food service director has been working with Harold to provide reclaimed food to St. Luke’s New Life Center located in north Flint. In the first year, McLaren provided five tons of prepared food. He appreciates the community partners who have embraced his vision to help others.
“I am grateful for the resources to do this work. To me, this is worth a million bucks,” Harold says.“And it’s not over until everyone is getting the proper nourishment.”
