 We did the NRDC food waste audit two years ago. The children recognized how much perfectly good food was being thrown away because it sat up on the stage at the front of the cafeteria. At that time we began collecting the food with the intent of having a share table and having the rest go to the homeless. It was an uphill battle at first because of the common conception that it was illegal and then the idea that if anyone got sick from the food that or principal would be sued. Once we got past that --- Home Depot donated a refrigerator where we keep the food until we load it into my car and I drive it to the local Rescue Mission in Downtown Nashville. Last year we diverted 4,000 lbs of food to he mission --- so we have been at this a while. The children take real pride in bringing the rescued food to the library each day at the end of their lunch period. Karen McIntyre, Librarian Westmeade Elementary Westmeade Elementary Student Links Food Rescue is teaming with The Kroger Foundation and The World Wildlife Fund as a consultant with an 8 city food waste audit cohort group that will promote food waste prevention and keeping nutritious food inside our food supply chain in our U.S. schools through conducting and studying the results of food waste audits in those 8 cities. Indiana's own Earth Charter Indiana and Jim Poyser will be conducting food waste audits in at least 5 local schools. Last week we were invited to speak in Washington D.C., and in a subsequent chance meeting we were able to speak to Senator Todd Young in the capital about Indiana's leadership on the subject of feeding families and not landfills in our nation's schools with nutritious unopened food that the USDA allows to be rescued from landfills.  Senator Todd Young, FR Executive Director John Williamson, and John's wife Carol Williamson  Food Rescue's presentation to the World Wildlife Fund and Kroger Foundation Grant Recipients
 Recently an article in Good Housekeeping Magazine about Share Tables has sort of set the Internet on fire. The article was picked up in various forms by Scary Mommy and Simple Most, and it has been shared to date over 250,000 times on social media, and commented on over 1 million times. The first state guidelines or memo Food Rescue found on the subject of Share Tables in schools were written In Michigan in September of 2012, but noted TCS foods, or Temperature Controlled for Safety would be "considered", but there were very few guidelines. In June of 2015, Indiana became the first state to develop full guidelines, not only for Share Tables, but for food donations to food pantries even for TCS food items, and even if schools did not choose to implement a share table. These guidelines were written by the State Department of Health and State Department of Education. They were very specific to unopened and unpeeled food items from the trays of students that were served that they did not wish to eat for various reasons. Over 400 Indiana schools now either implement share tables or donate unopened food items from the trays of students that they choose not to eat to food pantries. Some of the over 400 schools do both Share Tables and food pantry donations that are left over from Share Table items completely encouraged by the USDA and EPA. After Vermont followed Indiana, the USDA wrote formal guidelines that can be seen in chapter 5 of the History of School Food Waste Policy story in June of 2016. The race was on for states to match those guidelines, if not adopt them. But the USDA added a substantial twist to the guidelines, putting states who resist the guidelines in a difficult position. The USDA declared these food items safe to be re-served through the lunch line a second time, if the guidelines are followed, AND have the food be counted toward a reimbursable meal within the National School Lunch Program. So to be clear, if your state resists the USDA guidelines, they are basically saying that that the very food that the USDA says is fit to be re-served to paying student "customers" is unfit to be given to children and families in need via food pantries. Food Rescue doesn't think this makes any sense at all, and we teach our students to just share the info on federal laws and guidelines with their school districts and local health departments, and lead the #FoodIsNotTrash movement. Our advocacy has led to many states adopting guidelines that match the USDA guidelines. Food Rescue does not advocate Share Tables over rescuing food and donating it to food pantries. We simply advocate states recognize the USDA guidelines, and choose share tables, K-12 Food Rescue policies, or both, including the donation of TCS foods that have guidelines written to insure donations are safe within reason. To learn more about school food donations, visit Food Rescue's Get Started Page. To learn more about our amazing student leaders, visit our State Student Leader Page. To learn more about how we engage students, check out our S.L.E.I. program. To view a comprehensive list of new outlets and Facebook Pages that shared some version of the Good Housekeeping story, scroll down below the photos. Good Housekeeping, WNDU South Bend, WTAP, Scary Mommy, Shared, Country Living Magazine,
Good News Network, Delish, KCCI Channel 8,Sharing Is Caring, Popsugar.com WKTUR, KPRC2, KWTV, WTMJ,Red Tri Cycle, Toronto Star The Little Things.com, A Plus.com, Metdaan.com, Ellennation.com, Upliftpost.com, Magic1607.com Boredpanda.com, Cookingpanda.com, Simplefreshness.com, Uplatter.com, Todaysparent.com, Womansday.com, Mambo.com WMQZ, Adaliarose.com, Bigcountry995, MSN.com, WGAL.com, Thedaily4news, I Heart Radio Sunny Sky Stories, WTOL, Indiana Gazette,This is good .com, Nuturestores KSL5 tv,, Superstar magazine, KOAT, WXII, Mothering Magazine, Simple reminders.com, We love USA WMTW, WMUR, Uplift post, Shared, Scoopnest.com Lots of positive momentum in March for Food Rescue. You pick the content that interests you the most this month. K-12 Food Rescue student leaders are changing the world thanks to you! National NPR Here and Now Interview Executive Director John Williamson and Connecticut Director of Student Leadership Nick Iannone Food Rescue National Director of Student Leadership Hanna Wondmagegn Charlotte Post Interview Civil Eats Article by Melissa Terry About Our Student Leaders Battle in NC and CT Athens Food Rescue Article by Teresa Curtiss Riverside MS in PA K-12 Food Rescue Huntington County Tab Lincoln Elementary K-12 Food Rescue Article Amy Beverland K-12 Food Rescue in Indianapolis Hinkle Creek Food Rescue Student Led Entrepreneurial Program Visits the White River Food Pantry Video Eagle Creek Elementary K-12 Food Rescue Video Pike Township Indianapolis Westfield MS K-12 Food Rescue Student Leader Video Promise Road Elementary Food Waste Challenge Video Massachusetts State Agencies Follow Indiana and Vermont with State Guidelines for K-12 Food Rescue and Share Table Programs With Leadership From Our K-12 Food Rescue partners in Andover MA. Kelsee Robinson Lebanon Schools K-12 Food Rescue Director John Williamson Executive Director Food Rescue |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2024
|
RSS Feed
