How Does it Work?
We rescue food from grocery stores, local farms, and even from folks with home gardens or fruit trees! If not for Vindeket, all this food would be headed for the landfill. A dedicated group of folks pick it up, unload it, and stock the market.
Often, food that you find at Vindeket will be past its printed best buy date. Don’t worry! Dates on food packaging don’t usually indicate that food is no longer safe to eat. Check out a note about food dates here.
The next step is getting that food into the hands of people who will eat it. Vindeket is for families, students, foodies, health and environmentally conscious consumers, people with dietary restrictions or preferences, and well, everyone! Shoppers show up during open hours on Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday and shop for what they can use. Lots of folks enjoy their Vindeket experience so much that they want to give their time or services, or make a donation. We’re always looking to add people to the Vindeket team!
The Shopping Experience
Here you’ll be surrounded by shoppers who have come not just to find something to cook for dinner, but to take part in a community-driven initiative.
If you’ve primarily shopped at grocery stores, and haven’t yet tried the Vindeket Market, you’re in for a treat! You’ll be greeted by a friendly service participant at the door, who will have you fill out some basic information. This helps the market get a sense of where people are from, and the total number who are sharing in the bounty that can be found at Vindeket.
As our market has become more popular, there has sometimes been a line forming to get inside.
We hate to slow you down, and we’re hoping to keep adding helpers and expanding our space, which will allow us to accommodate more people at once. We’re honored that so many of you want to help your community and rescue food in the process!
If there is a wait, once it’s your turn you’ll get called in by a service participant at the door, and then you can shop dry goods and bulk grocery items before moving on to various kinds of produce. What’s available each week depends on what’s been donated. There are often items that you’ll be familiar with, like potatoes and tomatoes, but you can also find things you’ve never used before, like a lemon cucumber! This is where you might find apples from a local neighbor’s tree or a spaghetti squash from a backyard garden. As you walk further you’ll find bread and pastries, sometimes of the gluten-free or vegan variety. In the main fridge room, there is a wide array of products, from non-dairy yogurt, meats, prepped meals, cheese, and eggs, to frozen food, bulk goods, snacks, sauces, and more. No matter your dietary requirements, you’re sure to find plenty to enjoy! It’s easy to come away from a Vindeket visit with 80 dollars worth of food.
The small store and predictable flow make the experience efficient and easy.
Most customers, even those who can’t stand grocery shopping, enjoy their time at Vindeket. If you like to cook and experiment, you’ll love finding new ingredients and spices to try out. For meal preppers, you can shop on Sunday and cook up a tasty meal for the week. You can experience new products that you’ve never seen before, or treat yourself to a specialty item that would be too expensive at a regular store.
When you’re done shopping you’ll go past the donation station. It’s totally optional to donate. For everyone with the means, you’ll choose how much you spend, or you can sign up to give your time. The more we all give the more we all grow! You can also set up a monthly donation, which is especially helpful in allowing us to cover costly equipment repairs and purchases. Right now we’ve got our eye on a walk-in freezer that would let us bring you more frozen goodies!