Category: Blog

Whenever the topic of personal fulfillment comes up, you hear a lot of suggestions: a career, a marriage, a family, even a hobby. But one suggestion always comes up when you are discussing feeling dissatisfied with your life and that’s volunteering!

Why is it that dedicating your time to charity is so beneficial and expected to make yourself happier? Well, helping those who are less fortunate than yourself really puts into perspective all that you have. You can be cognizant of how lucky you are that you grew up in a stable home, or have a place to live, or even that you don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, but until you see that with your very own eyes, it does not truly sink in.

Now you might be thinking “Well, what do you know anyway?” I’m glad you asked! In 2012, when I was 12 years old, my family and I ran a charitable initiative where I raised over $10,000 for those whose homes and lives were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Union Beach, NJ.

Of course, not every volunteering effort looks like that. However, it completely changed my life. By absolutely no means do you have to embark on a massive effort to feel the benefits of charitable work/volunteering. Any amount of effort helps, big or small, or even medium. But take it from me, there is no feeling in this world quite like seeing your hard work turn into joy for those who truly need it.

Ready to Volunteer?

Anything and everything help, whether that’s working with an organization, setting up your own charitable activity, making a donation, or even just helping someone you know who is in need. Charity doesn’t have to be some big grand embarking; it can be a simple act of kindness. Both feel great, trust me!

There are great organizations out there that would welcome your volunteer time or donations, more than you think there are, who would be ecstatic to work with you. However, there is one that I am interning with, and very partial to…Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and most successful food rescue organization.

Table to Table is committed to feeding our hungry neighbors here in northern NJ. They rescueand deliver healthy, fresh, and perishable food from grocery stores, food distributors and restaurants, and in doing so, nourish the community while helping our environment. If feeding hungry New Jerseyans piques your interest, then you can’t find a better partner out there.

Table to Table hosts programs and events, where the proceeds go straight to providing meals for our less fortunate neighbors. In fact, Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch is a grassroots fall initiative that invites individuals, employees in corporations and students in schools to donate the equivalent of their lunch money for a day, week, month or more to help Table to Table feed those who need it most. Every dollar raised provides 10 healthy meals!

Another facet of this wonderful nonprofit that I find intriguing is their app, I-Rescue. It is truly the most flexible and straightforward way to volunteer. Simply look up Table to Table I Rescueon the IOS or Google Play app store, sign up, and all the sudden you are greeted with a map, not unlike one you’d see in a ridesharing app. You click on one, it shows you where to pick up the food, where to drop it off, and just like that you’ve given someone the basic human right of a meal.

Out of all the charity work I have done, this was by far the easiest, and yet no less rewarding. With less than half an hour’s worth of driving, you can help feed neighbors in need. To learn more, download the Table to Table I Rescue app and visit tabletotable.org. Help us help others and be happier while doing it. We cannot wait to work with you!

I woke up one day and found that I am indeed an empty nester. With one daughter in school in NYC and the other attending University of Maine, I have found myself with two empty bedrooms and a great amount of time to myself. After cleaning out both rooms and turning one into my office–which I’m happily sitting in now while I write this–I started thinking about how to fill my time.

I have a full-time job with Table to Table, a non-profit food rescue organization, which keeps me busy, but what do I do with all these extra hours that I have found? Thankfully, I don’t have to stray far from what I know.

Table to Table has this incredible app called I-Rescue, that connects volunteers, looking for random hours, to do something meaningful. The app is downloaded onto your phone and almost immediately, you start receiving notifications of rescues available in your area to claim.
Once I determine that I am available, I claim it and off I go! I pick up from Wawa in North Bergen and Whole Foods in Edgewater and I drop off the food at our recipient partners close by. On the weekends I might end up at the Whole Foods in Weehawken or the Trader Joe’s in Clifton. Since I have more time on the weekends, I don’t mind traveling a bit further.

While I love seeing the generosity of the donors and chatting a bit with them, I really love meeting with the recipient partner agencies. I might deliver to a local church feeding the hungry or a group home in my own neighborhood where a small group of autistic teens and their aides live 24/7.
Through my volunteering for Table to Table’s I-Rescue, I have met so many other incredible volunteers giving so much of themselves every day in so many ways. Meeting them invigorates me! It reminds me of all the truly good there is out there. I miss my girls more than I can explain, but I’m keeping busy by volunteering…and Christmas break is only 106 days away. Not that I’m counting or anything.

Written by Julie Kinner, Empty Nester & Table to Table’s VP of Operations

Recently, I volunteered to do food rescues for Table to Table using their I-rescue app. It was easy. I just downloaded the app, claimed, and picked up a rescue and then, I delivered to a local organization that helps feed the community.

Although I have only been doing this for a short period of time, the effect it has on me has been huge! My first rescue was from the Paramus Farmer’s Market. The gentleman that was donating was obviously dedicated to feeding people. His concern that no food goes to waste really touched me.
As my husband and I filled my truck to the roof with fresh produce, he told us about past weekends in which he had to toss out produce and how terrible he felt. That inspired me! From that day forward, I have been encouraged by the people I have met on my rescues, including the grocer happily donating food to the volunteers that accept the donations. It also cemented in my mind how fortunate I am to be able to help in some small way.

The fact that the food being picked up is healthy nutritious food is a big bonus! Previously, my kids and I have helped at a food pantry and that was my son’s biggest complaint. Why are we not giving people healthy food? The fact that I was able to fill my truck with fresh produce was exciting! I hope that the farmer’s market pick-ups continue.

What I especially like about the Table to Table app is that it is flexible. Some weeks I have more time and other weeks I have less. One day I was sitting home contemplating my day, when I got a Table to Table notification alerting me that there was a food rescue available to be claimed. A pickup was needed in the afternoon, and I was able to run out and complete it. Easy…flexible and so gratifying!

By Eileen F, East Rutherford, NJ

 A Conversation with 2022 Chefs Gala Honoree Michel Nischan

 

 One word to describe you as a person: Engaging

 

As a humanitarian: Empathetic

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your mission, and how you got to where you are/what you’re doing today?

 

I believe that everyone, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, age, or income, should have the right to eat and feed their families well. I learned how to provide that experience for my dining customers over the years who could afford to choose a healthier approach to food. When I learned about the millions of individuals and families who couldn’t afford to eat better – even if they wanted to – I started Wholesome Wave.

 

Why the shift from restaurants to low-income households?

 

Low-income households represent 15 % of the population in America who cannot afford to avoid diet-related diseases, which are preventable, but only if you can afford to choose the healthier foods necessary to prevent or better manage them. There is no restaurant chain or business model that’s affordable for a family of four that has between two and four dollars for all four people for dinner tonight. The answer was not in how business addresses nutrition insecurity for low-income community members, but rather how public policy should address it.

 

Why tackle snap benefits?

 

SNAP is a large piece of the nutrition puzzle, at a spend rate of ~$80B per year. But when divided out amongst the ~50M who need it, it’s about $120 a month for food. SNAP has not kept pace with the cost of living. Simple increases to the budget, in a manner that incentivizes healthy food choices, could go a long way to ending nutrition insecurity suffered by low-income community members and families.

 

What age did you find out this was going on in the world around you?

 

My family was on “Food Stamps” a few times when I was growing up, but I thought it was something we were experiencing, and a few of my friends at school. When I became recognized for my well-being cruising at Heartbeat Restaurant in NYC, I was invited to wellness think tanks that included conversation on food insecurity in low-income communities. That’s when I learned the vast scale of food insecurity.

 

What marked the change between “Food Insecurity,” and “Nutrition Insecurity?”

 

I always believed there was a big difference between food insecurity – having enough food – and nutrition insecurity – being able to afford and access the right food to avoid or better manage diet-related diseases. I started focusing on articulating the distinction when we started fielding our Produce Prescription intervention, where clinicians could prescribe the fruits and vegetables their low-income patients needed to better manage their diet-related health conditions.

 

What is something you wish people would know about those suffering from poverty and lack of access to fresh produce, and these systems we have in place today?

 

I have yet to meet a low-income community member or family who doesn’t desire to eat healthier or provide healthier food for their families. They simply can’t afford it. Our consumer attitude surveys showed that low-income shoppers, urban and rural, valued the same attributes as higher income shoppers such as quality of produce; selection of produce; supporting local farmers and businesses. It’s sad to realize that the focus of our society as a country has determined income to be the differentiator amongst our neighbors, rather than the values we all hold and align on. Like taking care of each other.

 

What would you like to see shift in the world when it comes to food systems? What do you think is the next step?

 

Food systems should be designed to make our country physically well, culturally fulfilled, and family secure. Once that happens, we would truly be physically and mentally strong, resilient, and productive. The scaled economic benefits from that approach are immeasurable. We currently look at our food system as a place to invest and make money based on the lowest common denominators of most goods and excess consumption.

 

What is the difference between Wholesome Wave and Wholesome Crave?

 

Wholesome Wave is a 501(c)(3) public charity that creates concepts like doubling SNAP for fruits and vegetables and procedure prescriptions, then works to institutionalize them through policy change.

 

Wholesome Crave a for-profit food company that sells plant-based food intro scaled food service operations at colleges, universities, and large-scale employers to provide tax-free gross revenue to support the work of Wholesome Wave.

 

 

Corporate Sponsors Help Feed NJ’s Hungry Neighbors by Supporting

Table to Table’s Chefs Gala

 

Together for the first time in years, notable chefs, foodies, and philanthropists will convene for an unforgettable evening of exquisite dining and unparalleled altruism, benefitting our hungry NJ neighbors. Table to Table’s Chefs Gala will take place on Wednesday, September 21st at Englewood Country Club at 6:30pm.

Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and most successful food rescue organization, will celebrate its 2022 Chef Gala Honorees: four-time James Beard Award winning chef, Michel Nischan and, this year’s Corporate Honoree, global medical technology leader, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company).

An impressive roster of sponsors will support this extraordinary event.  This year’s Presenting Sponsor is American Express.  The Gala’s Grand Sponsors include American Airlines, BD, Crestron, Inserra ShopRite Supermarkets, and Summit Associates. Gold Sponsors are Doherty Enterprises, Takasago and Tito’s Homemade Vodka.  Wines for the Chefs Gala are expertly coordinated by Carlo Russo Wine & Spirit World.

The Chefs Gala, Table to Table’s most anticipated and vital event of the year, highlights celebrated chefs who meticulously prepare their delicious selections, expertly paired with the finest wines. Plus, a high-end, live auction, an incredibly popular aspect, will feature extravagant travel, food, and wine experiences.

For more information on Table to Table’s Chefs Gala, visit us at www.tabletotable.org/chefsgala.

BD’s Senior Director of Social Investing, Jennifer Farrington, Discusses How its Table to Table Partnership Compliments the Company’s Commitment to Improving Community Health

Table to Table recently announced that BD (Becton Dickinson and Company), a global medical technology company based right here in New Jersey, will be the Corporate Honoree for this year’s Table to Table Chefs Gala, taking place on Sept. 22, 2022. Here’s what BD’s Senior Director of Social Investing, Jennifer Farrington, had to say about the company’s partnership with Table to Table, and how it fits into the company’s broader commitment to improving community health.

At BD, we’re committed to partnering with non-profit organizations throughout the world to invest our resources to do what’s right – especially when it comes to serving the most vulnerable.

Because we’re a global medical technology company, we’re also deeply focused on innovation – finding new and better ways to solve healthcare’s biggest challenges. Our products and services are used in just about every healthcare setting imaginable, and in just about every community in the world. We have deep, local roots here in New Jersey, too: our headquarters are located right here in Bergen County, where thousands of our 75,000 global employees live and work.

That’s why we are particularly grateful for our partnerships with forward-thinking, local non-profit organizations like Table to Table, which help us deliver on our commitment to improving community health, right here in the county so many of our employees call “home.”

We know that even though we’re living in an era of unparalleled healthcare innovation, the reality is that not all people have equitable access to even the most basic building blocks to good health – like healthy food. That’s why we’re proud to support Table to Table in its efforts to take fresh, high-quality food that would otherwise be discarded, and deliver it safely to soup kitchens, homeless shelters and senior facilities to help reduce hunger among New Jersey’s 800,000 people who are food insecure. This approach – which seeks to improve health and reduce hunger while also reducing food waste – demonstrates how, with innovative thinking, we can work together to solve multiple, pressing problems at once.

At BD sites around the world, and right here in New Jersey, our employees join together to expand food and water access in other ways, too – like organizing food drives for local pantries, packing shelf-stable meals for hungry families, bringing fresh drinking water to communities in need, and making charitable donations to organizations like Table-to-Table, which we match at 100%, up to $5,000 per employee, per year.

We’re looking forward to being part of Table to Table’s 2022 Chefs Gala – it’s a fantastic event, year after year, and we hope to see you there! Local fundraising events like this one are a great way we can all do our collective part to reduce food insecurity and build a healthier community for all.

The Question Some NJ Caregivers Are Asking this Summer

With summer approaching, many families are eagerly planning vacations and camps for their children while—conversely–thousands upon thousands of NJ caregivers are burdened with figuring out how to feed their children this summer.

Universal Free Meals at Schools are Slated to End

Many struggling families rely on the daily meals that are provided to their children during the school year. Additionally, universal free meals at schools put in place as an emergency measure during Covid, are slated to end this summer.

“If I didn’t get this food, it would be tough because I can’t afford healthy food. I feel blessed that Table to Table gives my kids the nutritious food they need,” says Barbara, a mother of three from Englewood, New Jersey.

Since our founding in 1999, Table to Table has ensured that students and their families are fed throughout the summer. Just as hunger doesn’t take a break, neither does our commitment to this community.

Nearly 1 of every 7 children in NJ is food insecure. Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, delivers nutritious food to families like Barbara’s. And, as a result—this summer–families in need can enjoy the benefits and reassurance of fresh, wholesome food.

Help Lift the Burden for Struggling Families this Summer!

Table to Table has rescued 96,000 tons of food, and we’re very proud of our 12th consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator reflecting our transparency and efficiency. With your meaningful tax-deductible donation, Table to Table can deliver 10 meals for every $1 donated.

To donate, click here, and if you’d like to volunteer by rescuing food through our app, I-Rescue, visit here.

 

Top 6 Reasons Why You Should Walk

Movement has a powerful effect on one’s mind, one’s emotions and of course, one’s body. If your thoughts are spinning around in your head, your body is tense and you can’t seem to focus, consider taking a 10-15 minute walk. As you move, breathe in deeply and out slowly allowing the air to fill your lungs. Your body and your mind are one, connected by the breath. Walking can clear the mind and relax the body.

Risa Olinsky, author of WHY WALK (amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com), says, “As we age, things will hurt. I’ll take the aches and pains of being active versus those of not. I walk because I can and if the day comes that I can’t, I’ll be grateful I did when I could.”

Children move without thinking about “why.” They just do it – they simply move. It’s natural, it’s what we’re meant to do, but somehow what seems so natural fades away as we age and life gets complicated. It’s easy to come up with excuses, but once you start a walking routine, you just might get hooked on the joy of walking on a regular basis. Read on for some additional reasons why you should schedule a walk soon.

Why Walk?

• Have arthritis? Walk to lubricate your joints. Have a hip or knee replacement? Walk to strengthen your joints.
• Stressed? Walk to relax, breathe and reduce the cortisol flowing through your body.
• Lonely, or simply alone? Walk with others to connect and meet new people.
• Have you moved to a new place? Walk to explore your new neighborhood.
• On a budget and can’t afford health club fees or expensive equipment?
  Walking is FREE! Lace up your shoes and go for a walk…. It’s that easy.
• Care about the planet? Walk to reduce your carbon footprint.

You can get all the benefits above, and be able to feed hungry neighbors by participating in Table to Table’s Virtual Walk taking place throughout the month of April. For more details and to register visit www.tabletotable.org/virtualwalk.

Risa Olinsky is a Certified Health & Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer and President of FreeWalkers, Inc. Freewalkers, a non-profit organization open to all, offers over 40 free walks each year.

Artist Credit: Carol Hsiung

 

In honor of Black History Month, Table to Table, NJ’s first food rescue organization, salutes the many achievements and contributions of African Americans in history. In particular, we shine a light on a gentleman, who—without his genius—Table to Table would not be possible.

Born in 1893, Frederick McKinley Jones grew up to become the inventor of one of the most important inventions to modern agriculture: the refrigerated truck. His interest in mechanics and electricity began as a boy, and later, in 1940, Jones patented his refrigeration system, which allowed perishable foods to be shipped further distances and worldwide. In 1991, Frederick Jones was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology, becoming the first African American to receive the honor.

Committed to feeding our hungry neighbours in northern NJ, Table to Table—using a fleet of 6 refrigerated trucks —rescues and delivers healthy, fresh and perishable food from grocery stores, food distributors and restaurants, and in doing so, nourishes the community while helping our environment. Since our inception in 1999, Table to Table has rescued 191,750,000 pounds of food.

We are so grateful for the tireless work of Frederick McKinley Jones!