Meet Mary Palmberg, the ultimate food rescue ambassador
Mary Palmberg is someone you might call a “local legend.” Many people in our community have the privilege of knowing Mary, with her energy and enthusiasm to tackle any goal and to, as she puts it, “make the most of her days.” She has worked in the University of Iowa’s Provost Office, has hosted the Helpers Email list connecting 250 volunteers with community needs, and was the Director and Volunteer Coordinator for the Free Lunch Program until 2014, helping secure its current space in the 1105 Project. She’s also been a volunteer at Table to Table since 1998, making her one of our longest-serving volunteers. 
Mary’s service with T2T is remarkable for many reasons. Here are a few:
- She can rescue any amount of food: a few weeks ago she and her volunteer partner rescued 1900 lbs. of food on one route alone!
- We have yet to discover her limit on how many volunteer shifts she can fill in a week: so far this year, she’s clocked more than 100 shifts on food rescue routes, prepping vehicles in the shop, picking up food at the Iowa City Farmers’ Market, and distributing veggies at produce pop-ups.
- She is the ultimate food rescue ambassador. She builds great relationships with food donors, increasing their donations and commitment to the mission. She makes T2T deliveries memorable for recipient agencies and their volunteers by delivering food with the best attitude and expressing sincere and heartfelt gratitude for their partnership and work. And she not only volunteers herself, but she brings along countless new volunteers. She uses every opportunity to promote and garner support for the mission. She truly couldn’t do more to be a better ambassador.
Mary has kept Table to Table moving forward all these 23 years she’s been involved, certainly not least of all this last year with all of its changes and unpredictability. Her knowledge and experience in hunger relief efforts combined with her passion for serving our neighbors makes her irreplaceable at Table to Table. Mary is a true example of the impact one person can have on changing a community for the better.
Get to know Mary
How long have you been volunteering with Table to Table? “Since the day I retired from the University of Iowa: February 13, 1998 (and maybe even before that).”
What’s one of your favorite memories from your time volunteering with Table to Table? “I have SO MANY favorite memories … but a unique one was doing a route in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.”
What is one thing you would tell new T2T volunteers when they’re first starting out? “To be very friendly, appreciative, and helpful to the people at [food] donor sites.”
What do you wish other people knew about Table to Table, food insecurity, and food waste? “Table to Table makes staff at [food] donor sites feel very good about their products not going to waste. T2T makes a huge difference in the budgets and food offerings of its recipient partners.” [She’s right! The food T2T delivers would cost partners hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase. And T2T-rescued food accounts for 60% of the food most pantries in Johnson County distribute.]
What is one of your favorite food memories? “Georgia Mud Fudge Blizzards made with chocolate DQ—shared with my T2T partner Nancy Weber after most of our Tuesday morning T2T routes during the Riverside Drive Dairy Queen’s season.”
One thing that would surprise someone to learn about me is… “I biked from ocean-to-ocean across the U.S. twice (in 2000, Virginia to Oregon; and in 2003, California to Florida), and the length of the Mississippi River twice (in 1999 south from St. Paul to New Orleans; and in 2007 from New Orleans to Lake Itasca) on trips with small groups of cyclists.”
Volunteer Spotlight: Jim and Jeff are keeping food rescue fun and fresh
Jim Bradbury and Jeff Knox are the perfect “pear!” (Literally, they were the original recipients of Table to Table’s “Quite the ‘Pear'” award, bestowed upon route volunteer duos that make an incredible team.) These two have been volunteering together at Table to Table for five years. As the story goes, back in 2016 a friend told Jeff that volunteering at T2T is a lot of fun. Jeff talked his friend Jim into volunteering with him, and the two have been volunteering together ever since.
If we ever wanted to convince people that rescuing food is not only important but also can be a whole lot of fun, these are two of the people we’d choose to do the convincing. T2T staff look forward to Fridays when these two come in for their route because they will undoubtedly bring lots of laughs and smiles to our faces. We are so thankful for their service and look forward to many more opportunities to smile!
A little about Jeff
What is/was your occupation?
Speech pathologist, Grant Wood AEA, Iowa City Schools, Adjunct Professor at St. Ambrose University
What’s one of your favorite memories from your time volunteering with T2T?
It’s just fun.
What do you wish other people know about T2T, food insecurity, and food waste?
It’s amazing how much food we collect, and how much food is used each week.
What are your hobbies?
Filling out surveys. (I think he’s pulling our leg here.)
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Any flavor of ice cream
A little about Jim
What is/was your occupation?
Mechanical engineer
What’s one of your favorite memories from your time volunteering with T2T?
One time we had a full pallet of frozen chicken and were thankful that they were already boxed. That was a 2,000 lbs. day for us!
What is one thing you would tell new T2T volunteers when they’re first starting out?
Get to know the people that you pick up food from and those you drop off to. These are really great people that want to help those that are food insecure.
What do you wish other people knew about Table to Table, food insecurity, and food waste?
The problem of food insecurity and food waste is a big deal, and what we do is important.
What are your hobbies?
Golf
What is your favorite dessert?
It always has to include chocolate cake and ice cream.
Dan and Marcia Musgrove: Lending a plethora of skills to T2T
Marcia and Dan began volunteering at Table to Table in January of 2020. They had recently moved to Iowa City from the Chicago area and were looking for a way to get involved in the community and meet new people. Upon the recommendation of Marcia’s sister-in-law, who had previously volunteered at T2T, they gave us a call. Since that time they both have helped out in several different ways.
Marcia and Dan currently go on a weekly food rescue route together. On top of that, they will pick up another route from time to time when there’s a need. Marcia also serves on the Volunteer Engagement Committee, has lent her expertise for our volunteer training initiatives, and has helped pick up fresh garden produce donations.
On top of the routes that Dan does with Marcia, he often answers the bell when called to sub on volunteer shifts, which include retail food rescue routes, produce pick-up routes, special distributions, and Saturday routes. Both Dan and Marcia have helped with fresh food box distributions as well as developing policies based around infection prevention at the beginning of the pandemic.
We sure are glad that Marcia had that conversation with her sister-in-law!
Get to know Marcia and Dan
Marcia
What is one thing you would tell new Table to Table volunteers when they’re first starting out? I think it is helpful to understand, respect and appreciate all the people that contribute to food rescue for those in need. Building relationships is helpful during this process.
What do you wish other people knew about T2T and food insecurity? Individual actions can really help someone who is in need.
One thing that would surprise someone to learn about me is…
I grew up on a farm in central Iowa with 12 siblings. I went to a one-room schoolhouse for a couple of years before the school bus would pick us up for town school. Dan and I have lived in Texas, San Francisco Bay Area and a suburb of Chicago before moving to Iowa City.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream (or favorite dessert)?
Chocoholic from Heyn’s
Dan
When asked about what he would share with new T2T volunteers when they’re first starting out, Dan emphasized the unique experience of partnering with a variety of other community members. It has been an unusual year working with T2T during the pandemic. Marcia and I worked with several different [volunteer] partners when we started training. But when we came back after T2T restarted routes last year, we have only worked together. It was interesting getting to know some of the other volunteers while sharing a ride in the truck — I miss that.
What are your hobbies? I am a racquetball player and a bike rider.
One thing that would surprise someone to learn about me is…
I am a three-time state champion in my division in racquetball.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?
I would like to spend a summer in Europe.
Volunteer Spotlight: Loyal Ulm
Loyal came to Table to Table because he had heard a report on NPR about how food insecurity was being exacerbated by the pandemic, and he wanted to find a way to jump in and help. Loyal started volunteering here in October of 2020 and has been busy helping out ever since, volunteering twice a week, helping out both in the shop and on food rescue routes. In fact, on more than one occasion, Loyal has gotten back from his route and stayed to lend a hand in the shop because he saw that we could use more help. We are grateful for his time and talent and know that he is having a positive impact on our community. Thanks Loyal!
Fun Facts about Loyal
What’s one of your favorite memories from your time volunteering with Table to Table? My route partner, Eliza, and I once picked up a bit over 1,700 pounds in one trip! It’s definitely not the all-time record, but it sure stood out to me as a great morning.
What is one of your favorite food memories?
I really liked the movie It (Stephen King) when I was a kid, so when I was in the fourth grade, my mom made me a Pennywise birthday cake, complete with the clown nose, fangs, and crazy hair.
What are your hobbies?
When the weather is nice, I enjoy spending my free time geocaching, but if I’m stuck inside, you’ll probably find me crocheting.
Food Waste, Climate Change, and You: An Introduction
What happens when you toss that old banana in the trash?
A recent United Nations report found that 930 million tons of food are wasted at homes, stores, and restaurants each year. If farms and production facilities are also considered, more than a third of food is wasted each year worldwide. These statistics demonstrate that food waste is a big problem, but visualizing how big the problem can be challenging. I’ve never seen a million pounds of food, let alone 930 million tons of food! If we can’t visualize the problem, it is difficult to understand the impacts, let alone imagine solutions.
I have the privilege of having a curbside compost cart through the city of Iowa City, so the organic materials we can’t or don’t use usually find their way into the compost cart. At the most immediate level, I compost and work to reduce food waste for selfish reasons. By tossing banana peels, bones, and veggie scraps into the compost my trash can doesn’t smell (and it’s less enticing to my dog). Although throwing my organic materials in the trash instead of the compost probably won’t impact me the next day, the next year, or even in the next decade, it will impact other communities, today, tomorrow, and into the future. Whether it be next month or the next century, the actions we make today will dictate the livelihoods of communities today and those of future generations.
The inputs to grow, transport, and prepare food are immense. By being conscious about our role in the food waste machine, we can celebrate the gift that is food and give thanks to those that are helping nourish us.
The good, wholesome food that Table to Table volunteers rescue avoids a needless fate in the compost pile, or, more likely, the landfill. When organic materials are taken to the landfill they break down in an environment with little oxygen. This process produces the greenhouse gas methane. Pound for pound, methane adds to the climate change problem even more than its famous cousin carbon dioxide. Organic materials make up about 35% of the Iowa City Landfill and account for roughly 2% of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Organic materials are being sent to landfills across the world. The greenhouse gases emitted from food waste in the U.S. have a larger impact than the airline industry. If we can’t eat all of our food, we should try our best to compost it.
I started writing this post hoping to get down to the nitty-gritty of how Table to Table impacts our local environment. Luckily for me somebody already did all the hard work (thank students at the University of Iowa!). Their project compared the inputs of greenhouse gases (our vehicle emissions) and the mitigation of greenhouse gases (the greenhouse gas emissions avoided because food was not taken to the landfill). Their research and calculations demonstrate: “Table to Table has a net-positive environmental impact for greenhouse gas emissions.” At the most basic level, this means that our food rescue program makes a difference in the fight against climate change.
The challenge of food waste can be overwhelming and even more so when we think about its impact on the environment. It is hard to comprehend methane and carbon dioxide levels, or the pollutants in our tailpipes, or the water and land used to grow our food. However, what is easy to understand is that we can do something! When I am feeling overwhelmed about food waste, I have to remind myself that humans have been coming up with ideas to reduce food waste and compost extra food for millennia. Making soup stock with veggie scraps and bones reduces food waste. Making goulash reduces food waste, and so does cooking beef bourguignon. We already know many ways to reduce our food waste, and we have the opportunity to adopt new ways to reduce waste while also feeding ourselves and our communities. When we think about reducing food waste as building connections between abundance and hunger, we can make progress.
-Ezra Schley, Food Rescue Program Coordinator
