When I was in San Francisco, I noticed how many people would share their meals with the homeless. I’m not saying that everyone did, but they sure did more often than what I’ve seen in St. Louis. People would just walk right up to homeless people on the street and hand them their leftovers from restaurants. Sometimes they would even engage in conversation, or remark, “It’s a frittata and waffles, it’s really good!” I was simply amazed at the casual way people simply cared about others. I know where I live, there are many who would scorn, “Don’t encourage them!”

Right now in Los Angeles, the city council is asking that the leftover foods from city departments be donated to the hungry. Sponsors say that they want donating leftover food to become as commonplace as recycling is in the area, and that food banks and other assistance groups would welcome the donations.

I’m sure they would, too. When I worked at our area food pantry, I saw so many families there—some of them, especially the elderly couples and parents with young children, broke my hearts—and I hated that so much of the food we gave them looked like crap. I know that people would be grateful for anything when hungry—we were on food stamps ourselves for a time when I was a child, after all—but repeated donations of creamed corn, refried beans, and stale bread—which often came from the local stores, which was cool—isn’t something that you actually look forward to. I remember slipping an extra little bottle of chocolate milk to a little girl with dirty cheeks, wondering how often she got to indulge in the treat.

If this program works, I hope that it’s emulated all across the country. We throw away a huge portion—about a third—of what we buy and it all goes to waste. Even when I scrape our plates out into the compost bin, sharing nutrients with the soil, I often wonder if there would be a way for me to get this food to someone who could really use it. How cool would that be if our cities each developed a program where we could do that somehow? Sure, we have an annual food drive from the post office, and another at the theater—but what about a weekly pickup for leftovers in a refrigerated truck, or even a donation pickup once a month for dry goods? It would be worth a shot.