By Audrey Morgan
Forestdale School in Malden, MA

In March of 2015, I sent the following email to Food Rescue.

I was listening to NPR radio, and I heard about your organization and I thought that my school may be able to contribute to the food rescue, as it bothers me how much food is thrown away. ( I rescue unopen milk and fruit and place them back into the kitchen during my lunch duty time.) So I decided to send you an email and inquire how to get started or if we qualify, as I am not sure of the set up.

By the end of the school year, I was able to send Food Rescue this report.

Our Forestdale school in Malden MA, started Food Rescue on April 10th 2017. So far we have rescued up to 2,150 food items and recycled 279 food containers. We bring our rescued food to Bread of Life center or the Teen Center in Malden. We hope to restart the program in the fall. This has been a rewarding project for me and all who participate in it. 

Audrey Morgan

By April Fitzgerald

This past year I had the privilege of leading 5 fifth graders in the Food Rescue mission at Hinkle Creek Elementary School. What honestly started out as something to do "for" others ("for" a friend, "for"my son) quickly became something I was looking forward to on a weekly basis. You see, while the mission of Food Rescue is indeed something I support, and have passion for, the mission itself was not what got me excited. What got me excited was getting to know these 5 young people, learning what makes them excited, helping them learn things about themselves and what they are capable of, and helping them realize that their seemingly small efforts have tremendously big impact.

Let's take student 1...student 1 loved being around his friends, but the Kingdom of God was something new to this student. This student was now learning about things he had previously been unfamiliar with, and in a way & with people where it was completely safe and not awkward. Student 2 had to learn how to take something he had been surrounded by since infancy, and learn to articulate it in way that was "professional and easy to understand". Student 3 has a knack for organizing the details, and completing the smaller tasks. Student 3 ALSO was the student who seemed to connect the group when they were "out of sync". Student 4 was the "big picture" visionary...the leader or the group, in a sense. This student was able to take ideas, and turn them into action items that everyone could get behind. Student 5 was our "academic" and our "people pleaser". This was the student who wanted to be the leader, wanted to have all the ideas, and I think sometimes felt left out. I had to work with Student 5 to realize that the rest of the students needed her for balance, and support. She was, in fact, the glue that kept the group happy.

​You may be asking what all this actually has to do with the Food Rescue project. Well...it was the realization that this K12 Food Rescue mission is SO MUCH BIGGER that saving the food, and helping the landfills. While I "knew" that the S.L.E.I. was a great thing, I didn't really "get" how great it was. So, speaking from one adult to another...if you have thought about supporting students in your school in this program, I would tell you that you should do it, and do it now! The opportunity for these kids to begin realizing their strengths, and to apply them in a "real world" scenario is so amazingly powerful. I remain in awe of what I know these 5 can accomplish in their lives, and am filled with excited anticipation to see where they go. 

Pike Township students help as Wheeler Mission picks up a weekly donation.

We at Saint Ignatius were very concerned about the waste we saw going on in our school cafeteria.  The surplus in children's lunches, bought or packed, was ending up in the trash and eventually the land fill.  I was given Food Rescue's contact information and decided to look into it.  Within a few minutes of talking with you we were on our way.  I called local food pantries to see who would be willing to partner with us.  Corpus Christi Food Pantry was overjoyed to be offered these caring donations.   Once that was settled, the rest truly took me about 1/2 hour to accomplish.  We made a poster and set a table in the cafe.  A blurb in our weekly newsletter alerted parents as to what we were trying to accomplish.  The feedback has been very positive.  I am blessed to be part of a school which is so willing to help others.  The children jumped at the chance to give.  Our principal has always encouraged the students to live with the "others first" mindset.  The payoff has been huge and the setup was minimal.  

Food rescue has an easy to navigate website.  Putting in our data only takes a minute or two every week.  Students and parents alike are happy to see our progress, which I pull directly from the Food Rescue website.   Being able to make such an impact with such little effort is something that you don't find very often.  I have contacted neighboring schools to see if they would like to join in for next school  year.  We hope to see a growth and willingness from others to give.

Beth Reynolds
Food Service Manager
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Cincinnati, OH

5 students led  K-12 Food Rescue at Saint Ignatius Loyola in the 2017/2018 school year

JACK HARDIG
OWEN HARDIG
JOESPH BOLING
OWEN KRAMER
BEN WEBER