Nathan Shaw is the Executive Director and Founder of Vindeket Foods in Fort Collins, and Benjamin Jewell is the Chairman of the Board.  Vindeket is a non-profit organization that was originally founded under the umbrella of Serve 6.8, a ministry aligned with Timberline Church.  Vindeket is a food rescue - they take in near-expired and after best-by packaged foods as well as small or non-standard shaped fruits and vegetables from grocers, food pantries, farmers, and distributors - and distribute it through their retail location and their network of nonprofits.  40% of all created food is wasted in the United States, and Nathan is on a mission to structurally change the food system and rescue more and more food from landfills.  

The Vindeket story started over 10 years ago, when Nathan began dumpster diving as a way to stretch his budget.  He was soon overwhelmed with the quality and quantity of food that was destined for the landfill, and hosted community dinners and filled friends’ freezers to try to divert this channel that was turning food into waste.  Not long after, Nathan connected with Ben, who carries a strong business background, and together the pair, along with a small board, minimal staff, and maximal volunteers (over 150!), have grown the operation to rescue nearly 2,000,000 pounds of food in 2023! 

This is an inspiring journey already, and it seems certain to unfold into something far greater as the seasons go by.  Vindeket has recently launched a campaign called Root Bound - seeking funding and skills and connections in pursuit of their next (and larger) location.  We love to talk about win-win-win-win solutions at LoCo Think Tank, and Ben and Nathan share the same everybody wins mentality.  This was a super-interesting topic I knew very little about, and you’re sure to be inspired, as I was, by my conversation with Nathan Shaw and Ben Jewell of Vindeket Foods.  

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