It eats at me.

Costco.

The fact that it doesn't have a corporate policy about donating its still-edible but somehow unsellable fresh produce to those in need.
The fact that it seems to be the only major food retailer in the nation that doesn't.

The fact that its latest public sustainability report (2009) indicates that it composts this food without a pit stop at local food banks of the still-good stuff.

The fact that I've found examples of Costco donating it to a wildlife center (Yellow River Game Ranch) and a butterfly sanctuary (the National Butterfly Center), but not people.

The fact that if all 634 Costco warehouses donate just one carload of fresh produce on just one day each week, that would be 317,000 pounds*/158.5 tons weekly, or 8,242 tons per year. (And that's just the tip of the iceberg lettuce!)

*to put this in perspective, the space shuttle weighs 220,000 pounds. What’s pictured is the amount of food that fits in one car (500 pounds).

Something is rotten in the State of Denmark (or, should I say, the city of Issaquah in the U.S. state of Washington), and it's not food. It's possible that Costco's concern is liability, despite the Good Samaritan Act, passed during former-President Bill Clinton's administration, which supposedly protects those who donate food to those in need. And that's where Bill comes in. Or could.

I believe that if Bill Clinton, who is supposedly concerned about childhood obesity, would meet with Costco at its headquarters in Issaquah, there could be a solution that addresses any barriers for Costco to establish and implement corporate policies and practices to routinely donate fresh fruits and vegetables to local food recovery programs.

I keep trying to let this go. To invite someone else to carry the baton. To say "I planted a seed, and that's all I can do." Yet this daily missed opportunity to connect people who need food with food that's edible continues.

And it eats at me.

And somewhere along the way, I learned that things that eat at you are, perhaps, best not to ignore. So I will pray for guidance (and replies to my tweets to Bill) on this one, however Walter Mitty-like my illusions of what's possible may sometimes seem.

See "Yes, Virginia, One Person Can Make a Difference" about a day in the life of a fresh-produce-recovery gleaner who gets donations from Whole Foods and Patel's (but not Costco).

See these previous posts on Costco and fresh produce recovery:

The Wooly Mammoth, the "Kevin Bacon of Wasted Food," and a Simple Request Made to Costco (Updated Twice)

Our First "Naked Truth about Hunger" Male Model

An Update on Costco, and How Costco Connects to a Fabulous Baker Boy

Costco, You Are Invited to the Table (Updated Twice)

Weekly Costco Update

There's an App for That!

Maybe Bill Can Help?