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30,000 pounds of unused food from Super Bowl LIV donated to Florida shelters

ESPN said the unused food being donated included beef tenderloins, barbecue chicken, wings, ribs and charcuterie plates.

MIAMI — More than 62,000 people attended Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on February 2, but even with such a big crowd about 30,000 pounds of food went unused.

The national food recovery leader, Food Rescue US, partnered with NFL Green and Centerplate, the exclusive food and beverage partner at Hard Rock Stadium, to make sure the surplus food from Super Bowl events was given to food-insecure individuals in the Miami area.

ESPN said the food collected included beef tenderloins, barbecue chicken, wings, ribs and charcuterie plates.

The food was donated the week after the Super Bowl to five shelters in the Miami area: Broward Outreach Center, Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Camillus House, Lotus House Shelter and the Miami Rescue Mission.

“With the scale of an event like the Super Bowl, we always prepare plenty of food, and I’m pleased to continue our partnership with Food Rescue US – Miami to deliver any surplus to local social service agencies feeding the hungry in our community,” said Chef Dayanny de la Cruz, Executive Chef of Centerplate at Hard Rock Stadium. “Our Centerplate team is proud to give back to the communities we serve, and to ensure that the meals we create can also support those in need, thanks to the efforts of the volunteer food rescue teams.” 

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ESPN and People said the food donated will feed around 20,000 people in need.

Carol Shattuck, the CEO of Food Rescue US, said one in seven people in Florida are impacted by food insecurity. 

“Through our work with Centerplate and NFL Green, we can make sure excess food from Hard Rock Stadium and the Miami Beach Convention Center helps to feed individuals and families throughout Miami, while also not contributing to the growing food waste crisis in the U.S,” Shattuck said.

The tens of thousands of pounds of food were rescued from Super Bowl events to keep it from ending up in landfills, where it creates methane gas that contributes to global warming.

Food Rescue US Miami director Ellen Bowen told ESPN that this was the first major food recovery program done at the Super Bowl.

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