Dumpster dining host planned a street Christmas Environmental activist Rob Greenfield takes up the homeless challenge

Rob Greenfield

After spending a whole week eating nothing but food found in dumpsters of grocery stores, Rob Greenfield hosted a dinner party at his home in Ocean Beach on Friday, December 20. With the goal to educate people of how much food goes to waste in America, Greenfield is working on a short film named 21 Gourmet Dumpster Meals to inspire people to eat healthier and be less wasteful.

Food for dumpster dinner

Reportedly, one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables, though in reality, America produces enough food to feed itself and three other Americas. We throw away 90 billion pounds of food per year, or roughly $165 billion worth of food, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Though Greenfield can easily afford to buy food and not eat from dumpsters, he does it to draw attention to the food crisis in this country.

“Friday's dumpster dinner was a total blast. About 30 people showed up, some who heard about it on the news, some from reddit, and a bunch of friends. Not a single person could tell the food came from the dumpster; most of them said it was above and beyond their expectations….

Dumpster dinner diners

“As for the dinner, we made an eggplant-mushroom frittata, veggie pot pie, rosemary-roasted potatoes and carrots, pumpkin, and Delicata squash soup, mashed sweet potatoes, mango guacamole, and a fruit salad, among many Trashetizers [trash appetizers].”

With more food than he could possibly eat or share with his friends, he prepared a big pot of home-made soup and a couple dozen freshly prepared fried-egg sandwiches and gave them to anyone that wanted a meal outside the post office in downtown San Diego the morning before his dinner event. That's where he met Lee, an older guy who was not interested in his food, but had something to say about the camera that was documenting Greenfield’s charitable act.

“If you really want to understand, why don't you come live on the streets with me?” Lee scolded Greenfield after he explained that the camera was there for a documentary about food waste in America.

Amused by his response, Greenfield accepted the challenge of living on the streets with Lee. Greenfield prepared himself to spend Christmas week on the corner of 16th and Island, where Lee said he could be found.

With the intention of showing that the differences between the “homeless” and the “home dwellers” are minimal compared to the similarities, Greenfield said he would spend the holidays penniless out in the cold.