Food waste and Food insecurity in local schools, in Ashtabula, Ohio. A ton of federally funded food is being wasted during school lunch. Uneaten pieces of fruit, packaged snacks, and boxed milk is ending up in landfills, while many students suffer from food insecurity through our community.
We launched the project, in December 2023, after: A.) Teaching students about food waste through interactive classroom programs; B.) Observing and collecting data on the amount of federally funded food being wasted at lunch (we are talking hundred of uneaten pieces of fruit, packaged snacks, and boxed milk, wasted daily), C.) Getting students excited about a Food Share Table, where uneaten food would be collected and redistributed back to students who wanted an extra piece of food; D.) Buying collection bins and tables and coordinating with school administrators, lunch staff, and teachers to have students be \\\"in charge\\\" of the Food Share Table. Third - Sixth grade students take turns running the Food Share Table. Students collect uneaten food, count it, wash fruit, and redistribute. Students RUN to the table because they are so excited about this project and the difference they are making! High school seniors help younger students at the table.
Our Food Share Table was a HUGE success! During the 90-day pilot program 10,159 pieces of food was saved from landfills and redistributed back to the 3rd - 6th grade student body from Superior and Erie Intermediate Schools, in Ashtabula, OH. The Food Share Table is still active, and, to-date, has saved 15,300 pieces of food! Students took charge of the table and learned not only the value of saving uneaten food, but had to inventory the food which ended up being a quick math lesson! This project was such a success, I was asked to launch a Food Share Table at another school, and our local city council has invited me to speak about the Food Share Table in the hopes of rolling out the project county wide!
When dealing with federally and state funded food, there is A LOT of red tape! At first we thought we'd be able to donate uneaten food from the school cafeteria to our local shelter, but quickly learned the food had to be distributed back to the student body. This was a blessing, as many children wanted and needed an extra piece of food.
Start time. I'd love to start this project at the beginning of every school year through the end of the school year.
Watching the kids work together as they collected uneaten food from their classmates. Seeing how excited they were to have a purpose and watching them work together to clean uneaten fruit and inventory all the food. I also loved watching high school students volunteer and interact with the younger students who were "in charge" of the food share table.
Talk to administration, teachers, and kitchen staff before launching a Food Share Table. KNOW YOUR DISTRICT GUIDELINES as to what can be done with collected uneaten food. Let the kids be "in charge." Let them be "Food Waste Heros."
