Your School Can Make a Difference
Reduce Food Waste & Feed Our Hungry Neighbors
A lot of people don’t have the same access to good quality food as us, so we should help them. When you get a chance to help people, you should do it. It’s really important to give back.
– Newark Academy student
Join us in our mission to reduce food waste and relieve hunger in New Jersey! Schools like yours can partner with us through multiple programs, including:
- Student-led fundraising through our signature Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch program
- Cafeteria food rescues through our I-Rescue Lunch program
- Food drives: We especially encourage produce and holiday turkey drives!
Not only will you make an impact but also your school can use these activities to earn points through the Sustainable Jersey Schools Certification. More information on specific activities is below; check the Sustainable Jersey website for more detailed requirements.
Sustainable Jersey is proud to work with Table to Table to reduce food waste and combat hunger. We encourage New Jersey schools to explore Table to Table’s school program, which helps rescue, recycle and reduce food waste. Participating is also a great way to earn points toward Sustainable Jersey certification.
— Véronique Lambert,
Program Manager, Sustainable Jersey for Schools
Engage Your Students!
Schools that sign up to partner with Table to Table through one or more of these programs will receive:
- An exciting digital toolkit with grade-specific lesson plans (Pre-K-8th Grade)
- Classroom activities
- Videos to help your students learn about food waste and food donations
- Plus, students can earn a badge to become a Table to Table Food Rescue Hero!
Are you a high schooler looking to earn volunteer hours? You can help run any of these activities at your school, or volunteer as a Food Rescue Hero through our Table to Table I-Rescue app.
Click a button to get started!
Special thanks to the
Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation
for their support of
Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch
Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch
Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch encourages students to host a school-wide donation drive, giving the equivalent of one day’s lunch money to support Table to Table’s food rescue mission.
Students will gain awareness that giving just $1 can provide enough food for 10 nutritious meals for their community.
Ongoing participation from your school could earn you 10 points from Sustainable NJ’s Civic & Stewardship or Green Challenge.
Join us to make an impact!
How It Works
Set a date and fundraising goal: Pick a day to host the event, assign a Team Captain, and set a fundraising goal.
We help with logistics: We can provide schools with donation bags or will create a fundraising webpage for online giving.
Spread the word: We can provide campaign fliers and QR codes to make your event a success.
Host the event: On the day of the event, students, staff, and community members place their “lunch” money in the brown bag provided, seal it, and give it to the Team Captain. All students can participate as ambassadors, making posters to get classmates excited.
See your impact: We will help you tally all the donations so you can report on your total impact.
Get credit: Your school could earn 10 points for Sustainable NJ’s Civic & Stewardship or Green Challenge. Check their website for specific requirements.
Food Drives
We partner with schools—from elementary through high school and even universities—on a wide range of food drives to collect nutritious fresh fruits and veggies, scrumptious sandwiches, and turkeys and hams for the holidays.
Ongoing participation from your school could earn you 10 points from Sustainable NJ’s Civic & Stewardship.
Help feed our neighbors in need! Click the button below to get started!
How It Works
Set a date & type of food drive: Pick a day to host the event and assign a Team Captain.
Spread the word: Students post flyers, make posters, send emails, and use word of mouth to make your event a success. Table to Table will provide you with more ideas.
Host the event: Remember to take photos or coordinate that with Table to Table.
See your impact: We can help you record the weight of all food items collected and where the food will be donated. Share that news with your school community.
Get credit: Host a food drive (or at least one other activity with a community organization) and you could earn 10 points from Food Recovery or Civic & Stewardship requirements.
I-Rescue Lunch
The I-Rescue Lunch program encourages K-12 students to collect surplus food from their cafeterias that is still safe to eat. Instead of throwing out extra meals, we can help rescue and distribute them to local food pantries, shelters, and families in need.
Since you will be donating food externally to our organization and our community partners, your school could earn 10 points from Sustainable NJ’s Food Recovery – Share Tables & Donation.
Good faith food donations from schools receive liability protection via the federal Good Samaritan Act and the State of New Jersey.
There’s power in numbers! Get started today!
How It Works
Collect unused, sealed, or unopened meals: Whole, uncut fruit, sealed bags of sliced fruit, prepackaged perishable & non-perishable foods, and unopened containers of milk can all be saved. Crates will be provided to fill with donations.
We pick it up and deliver: Our volunteer will collect the food and bring it to local food banks and shelters.
Get credit: Complete the Donation section of the Sustainable NJ Food Recovery Submission Form and earn 10 points for donating recovered food.
Schools That Are Making A Difference
- Anna C. Scott Elementary School, Leonia
- Bergen County Academies,
Hackensack - Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro
- Berkeley Street Elementary School, New Milford
- Chatham Day School,
Chatham Township - Dwight-Englewood School,
Englewood - East Brook Middle School,
Paramus - Edward H. Bryan Elementary,
Cresskill - F.N. Brown Elementary,
Verona
- Glen Ridge High School,
Glen Ridge - Godwin Elementary School,
Midland Park - Harrison Elementary School,
Livingston - Highland Elementary School,
Midland Park - Lester C. Noecker Elementary School, Roseland
- Lyncrest Elementary School,
Fair Lawn - Newark Academy,
Livingston - Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, Summit
- Our Lady of the Lake,
Verona
- Paterson Arts & Science Charter School, Paterson
- Ramapo High School,
Franklin Lakes - River Dell Middle School,
River Edge - Seton Hall Preparatory School,
West Orange - St. Anthony School,
Hawthorne - St. John’s Academy,
Hillsdale - Travell Elementary School,
Ridgewood - The Elisabeth Morrow School,
Englewood - Willard Elementary School,
Ridgewood
Community Activities
If your school is passionate about rescuing food or reducing food waste, consider educating your community about sustainability too! Host an event at your school or library and/or partner with another organization to create an exciting enrichment program.
Ongoing participation by your school could earn you 10 points from both Sustainable NJ’s Community Education & Outreach or Enrichment Programs Through Partnership.
Did You Know?
- Nearly 40 pounds of food and 30 cartons of milk are wasted per student per year!
- 45 million gallons of milk in schools is discarded annually—equivalent to filling 68 Olympic-size swimming pools
- Rotting food in landfills produces methane gas that is 21 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.
- The Richard Russell National School Lunch Act was amended to encourage school food recovery in November of 2011.
- With adherence to food safety guidelines, the USDA supports the donation of unopened, unpeeled and uneaten items from student lunch trays.
Become a Student Ambassador
Through the Table to Table Ambassador Program, Middle and High school students serve as an ambassador to raise support for Table to Table in their school. Duties include assisting with program and volunteer outreach, and overseeing the donations.
Together, We Can Make a Lasting Impact
By rescuing food and helping pack meals for those in need, your school will be part of a collective effort to fight hunger, reduce food waste, and inspired future generations to think about the world around them.