I’d like to pitch some tomatoes but I think that my target might be the organizers of a tomato-throwing fundraiser held in Reno last month. Yes, it raised $20,000 for the American Cancer Society. But to do so wasted 150,000 pounds of edible food – about 60 pounds for each participant in the event.
Yes, I know it’s modeled after the big tomato fight in Spain. That doesn’t make it any less insensitive.
Every year, 15 million children die of hunger throughout the world. Even in the United States, one out of every six households is considered “very food insecure,” which means that one or more in the family routinely goes hungry. Nearly 40 percent of Americans qualify for food stamps; mor than half of them are children.
The irony of it all is that tomatoes contain lycopene, which some studies show may help ward off cancer. The fight against cancer might have been better served by having the participants eat the tomatoes rather than throw them.
I’m with you on this one. When I see things like this, where food is wasted, it does really bother me. That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw Lady Gaga’s meat dress – what a waste.
I do have to agree with you. I am a big supporter of ACS, being the Relay for Life Chair for the past two years, but this seems VERY wasteful. If they wanted to really do that, maybe they should have come up with something non-food that resembles tomatoes which are soft enough to be thrown.