On March 21, with the help of our staff, PTA members, and other community volunteers, we will begin piloting Toward Zero Waste’s food recovery program - SHARE (Stop Hunger and Restore Earth). During breakfast and lunch services you will see a collection cart available for students to contribute approved, uneaten, and unopened cafeteria meal items. These items can then be taken by other students during meal services. Leftover items will be transferred to the SHARE pantry cart and SHARE refrigerator, located in the hallway outside the cafeteria near the Lost & Found Table, where students can access the foods throughout the school day. The goal of this program is to reduce the amount of uneaten food going into the landfill, while simultaneously addressing food insecurity in our communities. “Don’t trash it - SHARE it!” 

 

Cafeteria monitors and volunteers will be overseeing the program in the cafeteria and transporting leftover items to our SHARE pantry cart and refrigerator. Please orient yourselves to the approved meal items for sharing (below), and encourage your students to both contribute and access these items, when appropriate. 

 

Examples:

 

5th grade students are creating a video for you to show your students to explain to your students what can be recovered, where to put it in the cafeteria, and where they can access the food.

 

Toward Zero Waste (TZW) will have community/parent volunteers assisting us during the initial weeks of the program, and we will be monitoring the flow of food for our school. Help us make this program a success! Please feel free to contact our school’s SHARE Program Administrator Alecia Soltes or TZW with additional questions or feedback.