The Food Bank of Iowa rescued more than 12,000 pounds of unused food from 16 vendors following the Iowa State Fair, which ended on Sunday. According to a news release, that is almost 5,000 pounds more than was rescued from vendors in 2022. Food Bank staff and volunteers collected the food on Monday and delivered some of it immediately to Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission, YMCA Supportive Housing Campus, Creative Visions, and Central Iowa Shelter and Services. The rest will be distributed to food pantries across the Food Bank’s 55-county territory. Items donated by vendors included fresh produce, hard-boiled eggs, ice cream, cheese slices, hoagie buns, coleslaw, milk and strawberry shortcake rolls. According to the release, Food Bank of Iowa rescues more than 7 million pounds of food each year. The USDA estimates that as much as 40% of the food supply, or about $408 billion in food, is thrown away every year.