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Category: Announcements

Announcements About Table To Table

Fighting hunger while reducing food waste is the mission Table to Table, a nonprofit making a meaningful impact across New Jersey communities. This summer, Table to Table is expanding its reach through a new partnership with Goya Presents Flag Cities. Heather Thompson, Executive Director of Table to Table, spoke about the organization’s mission and this partnership on ONNJ’s “Mornings with Ken Rosato.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 276 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 133,271 tons of nutritious food — enough for 266,542,863 meals — and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 612 metric tons of methane.

Related:

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on binje.com. Click here for the story.

Barring an unexpected last-minute move, more than 800,000 New Jersey residents will not have their SNAP cards filled on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing federal shutdown.

Dozens (if not hundreds) of organizations around the state are making urgent pleas for assistance. All deserve consideration. (Donate here)

Here is one of them, from Heather Thompson, the executive director at Table to Table. It was sent out to their database earlier today:

“I am writing to you on a truly somber note as the looming food insecurity crisis draws near. At this very moment, food pantries and emergency food providers across New Jersey are facing growing and unprecedented demand as the ongoing federal shutdown delays SNAP benefits. Based on what we know now, beginning on November 1 over 800,000 New Jersey residents – families with children; working folks like teachers and restaurant servers; senior citizens and veterans – will not have their SNAP cards filled until further notice.

“As a result, lines at pantries are already growing longer by the day – and our 300+ community partners are reaching out to us every day, desperate for more fresh food to support the growing need.

“Rescuing and delivering free, surplus food to communities in need is Table to Table’s core mission and daily work. And as need spikes in our communities, we are doubling down. Our drivers are working overtime, picking up surplus fresh food from farms, distributors, meal kit companies, and supermarkets. Our devoted ‘Food Rescue Hero’ volunteers are running rescues 7 days a week to pick up food from local markets, cafeterias, and restaurants, and delivering directly to nearby partners.

“Everyone can play a role to rescue food and feed our neighbors during this time – including you.

“Every single dollar you donate provides the resources to rescue and deliver food for another 10 meals. A donation of $344 funds a refrigerated truck and driver for a full day, rescuing enough fresh food for thousands of meals.

“If you are in a position to give, please know that your gift will go to work immediately to feed neighbors right here in New Jersey. (Donate here)

Want to do more? Table to table invites you to connect with key people in their organization:

Individuals + Families
Volunteer to run a food rescue:  I-Rescue – Table to Table
Host food drive: Christine Zeni, Network Director czeni@tabletotable.org
Donate:  Emergency Food Support – Table to Table

Corporations and Community/Civic Organizations
Volunteer, donate or host a food drive:  bmartin@tabletotable.org

Food Businesses and Restaurants
Donate surplus food for pick up: Christine Zeni, Network Director czeni@tabletotable.org

Schools
Host a food drive or donate surplus food: Stephanie Conley Webb, Volunteer Manager sconley-webb@tabletotable.org

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on binje.com. Click here for the story.

Affinity Federal Credit Union marked its fourth annual Impact Day by partnering with Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization, to provide nearly 5,000 meals to local families in need.

The major volunteer effort saw over 370 Affinity employees participate at the credit union’s headquarters in Basking Ridge on Oct. 14 (Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day), when branches were closed. Employees from across Affinity’s tri-state footprint—from New Jersey to Connecticut—assembled meals, including sandwiches, snacks, and water, and included words of inspiration for recipients.

The prepared meals were distributed to 16 community nonprofits across the northern half of New Jersey that work directly with individuals and families facing hunger.

News 12 New Jersey ran a story about food prices rising faster than inflation, an estimated 30% since the COVID pandemic. Our Executive Director Heather Thompson spoke with News12 about individuals and families experiencing food insecurity and the choices they’re making regarding what food to purchase.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This story originally aired on News 12 New Jersey. Click here for the story.

News 12 New Jersey ran a story about food prices rising faster than inflation, an estimated 30% since the COVID pandemic. Our Executive Director Heather Thompson spoke with News12 about individuals and families experiencing food insecurity and the choices they’re making regarding what food to purchase.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Table to Table's annual Chefs Gala is Oct. 9 at Edgewood Country Club

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Total Food Service magazine’s October 2025 issue. Click here to read the rest of the article.

In kitchens all across New Jersey, long before any guests are seated and well after the last table is cleared, chefs are doing something more than cooking. They’re feeding people who can’t afford to dine out—some who can’t afford to eat at all That commitment to serve extends beyond their restaurants, and it’s made possible by the quite force that drives this movement year after year: Table to Table.

For over two decades, Table to Table has been the guiding link between food excess and food need. It’s not a food pantry. It’s not a soup kitchen. It’s the engine behind a logistics miracle — rescuing fresh, nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste and getting it to places where it’s desperately needed. In doing so, it’s become a lifeline for more than 300 partners —shelters, food pantries, community centers, and school programs — across Northern New Jersey.

On Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, the people who make this effort possible — New Jersey’s chefs — will gather at Edgewood Country Club in River Vale for one extraordinary night: the Table to Table Chefs Gala. It’s not just a fundraiser; it’s a celebration of generosity, talent, and shared purpose.

Ryan DePersio, co-chair of the event, reflected on the impact of the night.

“It’s not a typical charity event,” DePersio said. “It’s almost 300 people we’re cooking for, but each table gets their own chef. That personal interaction is rare, and the guests love it as much as we do.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Click Below To View BC The Mag’s Gallery

Photo Gallery

The Behind The Seams Fashion Show Benefitting Table to Table was Held at Bottagra Restaurant

Editor’s note: BC The Mag covered the Behind The Seams Fashion Show at Bottagra Wednesday. For more photos from the event, visit BC The Mag’s website.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Pantry Announces Partnership with Table to Table to Expand Food Access and Reduce Food Local Waste

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s new partnership with the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry originally appeared on Montville Patch. Click here to read the entire story.

The Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry celebrates 15 years of dedicated community service today, April 25th. Marking this significant milestone, the pantry proudly announces a new partnership with Table to Table, Northern New Jersey’s pioneering food rescue organization. This collaboration, launched yesterday will enhance the pantry’s ability to combat food insecurity by providing weekly deliveries of rescued food, starting with breakfast items and baked goods from local Wawa stores.

This partnership represents a major step in the pantry’s ongoing mission to meet the increasing needs of the community through sustainable and cost-effective solutions. As demand for food assistance grows, this initiative will allow the pantry to expand its offerings without increasing operational costs. In March 2025 alone, the pantry supported 413 individuals across 133 visits, including welcoming 7 newly registered households, underscoring the urgency for innovative food sourcing.

“Heading into our 15th year of service, it’s more important than ever that we deepen our impact,” said Danielle Mangione-Vasser, Co-Director of the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry. “This partnership with Table to Table allows us to expand food access, reduce waste, and better support the hundreds of individuals who count on us—without increasing our operating costs.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s second Partners in Good Health Conference appeared on ROI-NJ’s website May 12. Click here for the complete story.

Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization, successfully concluded its second annual Partners in Good Health Conference co-sponsored by Montclair State University’s Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The conference is designed to connect, inform and empower the nonprofit’s partner pantries, social service agencies, shelters and other community partners who distribute the food delivered by Table to Table to communities in need throughout Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson and Morris counties.

The daylong event, which took place on the university’s campus, featured subject matter experts in the areas of nutrition, emotional resilience and “micro-habit” changes for better health. The afternoon capped off with a town hall discussion led by New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) team members Mark Dinglasan, Dan Dychtwald, Ph.D., MPH, MS and Jemmell’z Washington-Rock, as well New Jersey Assemblywoman Shama D. Haider, who serves as chairwoman for the Assembly Committee on Children, Families, and Food Security.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Veer Agarwal and his food rescue club ResQFood, originally appeared on News 12 NJ’s Jersey Proud segment. Click here for their story.

News 12 New Jersey highlighted Veer Agarwal on their Jersey Proud segment Thursday. Agarwal is the founder of ResQFood, a food rescue club at Livingston High School, and a Table to Table Food Rescue Hero. We’ve helped Veer and his team of 30 volunteers perform more than 200 rescues of nutritious food in and around Livingston by coordinating the pick-ups and drop-offs.

“I am a proud volunteer of Table to Table because of what this organization and cause stands for. Every person in New Jersey should have secure access to healthy meals, but the reality is that 1 million people are food insecure and 3 billion pounds of food gets thrown out annually,” Agarwal previously said. “When picking up surplus food from restaurants and donating to local food pantries, I feel satisfied knowing that some family out there is benefitting from my efforts.”

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Behind The Seams 2025 was taken from the original article that appeared in Total Food Service Magazine’s May 2025 issue. Click here to read the entire article.

In Northern New Jersey, something remarkable has taken root—an ever-growing movement of restaurants, retailers, and community members joining forces to tackle one of society’s most pressing issues: hunger. At the heart of this effort is the connection between the community and solving the issue. It begins with individuals and businesses stepping forward to create a solution. In this case, a business and its visionary leadership: Ralph Lauretta of Sal Lauretta for Men has done exactly that. With his friend, Joey Mazza, the Behind the Seams Fashion Show was born.

The collaboration is set to return for its 15th year on Wednesday, May 14, at the elegant Bottagra Restaurant in Hawthorne. For the first time, Lauretta and Mazza have teamed with Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit. This high-energy evening, blending gourmet food, fashion, and philanthropy, is more than just a celebration—it’s a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when people rally for a cause greater than themselves. What started as an idea between friends over fashion and charity has grown into a full-scale, high-impact collaboration transforming he way businesses give back. From year one, the event has supported community-focused nonprofits.

“I’ve always believed our store should be a platform for change,” Lauretta detailed. “With Table to Table, it’s local, it’s tangible, and you see the impact in your own backyard.”

To purchase tickets to Behind The Seams 2025, click here.

Table to Table is New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, bridging the gap between food being wasted and people facing food insecurity. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 303 community partners, including social service organizations, pantries, shelters, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, Table to Table touches a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Since 1999 we have rescued more than 120,700 tons of nutritious food—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane saved.

Related:

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