Harrison Elementary School in Livingston received Table to Table’s 2023 Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation for Student Philanthropy for their outstanding fundraising efforts in support of the Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch initiative. The students’ dedication helped raise $1,459.54 to reduce food waste and provide 14,600 meals to food-insecure neighbors in Northern NJ. The initiative invited participants to donate what they would spend on lunch for a day, week, month or more to help Table to Table reduce food waste and feed those who need it most.
Tablet to Table’s Executive Director, Heather Thompson, commended the students for their community leadership and recognized their remarkable impact on addressing food insecurity. Thanks to a challenge grant from the Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation, the funds raised by Harrison Elementary School and other participating schools were generously doubled, amplifying their contribution to the cause. For more information go to: tabletotable.org/bagalunch
There is a charity program in New Jersey called “Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch.” School kids around the Garden State are not only raising awareness about food insecurity but doing something about it.
Students at Harrison Elementary School in Livingston are the top fundraiser in the state for the charity Table to Table. They raised enough money for 14,600 meals.
The kids handed over a check for $1,500. By doing so, they earned the Segal Foundation Award for student philanthropy.
LIVINGSTON, NJ — Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, is recognizing Livingston’s Harrison Elementary School in Livingston with the 2023 Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation Award for Student Philanthropy after students raised enough funds to create 14,600 meals as part of Table to Table’s “Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch” initiative.
According to the organization, Harrison Elementary School was the top fundraiser out of dozens that participated in this initiative, which invites students to donate what they would spend on lunch for a day, week, month or more to help Table to Table reduce food waste and feed those who need it most.
“The power harnessed by these Harrison Elementary students to be true community heroes—reducing food waste, while also feeding thousands of New Jersey neighbors facing food insecurity—is nothing short of incredible,” said Heather Thompson, executive director at Table to Table. “With this impressive level of community leadership, the future is truly bright.”
Harrison Elementary School teacher Sara Calabrese, who also serves as student council co-advisor, explained that the school has been an ongoing supporter of Table to Table’s Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch initiative because “preserving the environment and reducing food insecurity are two incredibly important issues to the students of Harrison Elementary.”
“Our Student Council played a critical role in mobilizing the student body to support the program,” said fellow teacher and co-advisor Stephanie Siu. “The results are impressive, and we are all honored to be recognized for our efforts.”
Table to Table collects fresh and perishable food that would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to organizations that serve people experiencing hunger in Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic counties.
According to the organization, the funds raised through Harrison Elementary School will rescue and deliver enough food for 14,600 healthy meals for those in need throughout Northern New Jersey.
The Bernard and Geraldine Segal Foundation—which established a challenge grant of $30,000 among all Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch participating schools in Northern New Jersey—has since doubled all funds raised during the 2023 initiative.
Additional sponsors of this mission included: Presenting Sponsors BD and Inserra Supermarkets; Gold Sponsor Kearny Bank; Silver Sponsors Aspen, Cross River Bank, Firmenich Charitable Foundation, Takasago and The Children’s Place; and Bronze Sponsors DoorDash, Freedom Bank, Movado and PNC Bank. To learn more or to make a contribution, visit www.tabletotable.org.
Saddle Brook-based Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, named nonprofit veteran Heather Thompson as its new executive director. In this role, Thompson will oversee all aspects of the organization, including strategic planning; development; supporter and partner engagement; revenue and grant management; operations; and community and government relations.
“We are excited to have Heather onboard as she brings to Table to Table more than two decades of experience of building community support to drive social change,” says Greg Mueller, chairman of the Board, Table to Table. “She will be a tremendous asset and will be pivotal in amplifying our mission of providing fresh, healthy food to those in need.”
For nearly 25 years, Thompson has worked for various not-for-profit organizations in New York and New Jersey to create growth strategies, build meaningful relationships with partners, donors, and volunteers, and support the needs of those under-represented within the community.
“The impact Table to Table has made in Northern New Jersey is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Thompson. “I am incredibly excited about my new post and the opportunity to continue the growth of this important organization. At a time when more and more of our neighbors face food insecurity, and there is a growing focus on ending food waste in our country, the mission and work of Table to Table has never been more vital.”
Before signing on to Table to Table, Thompson served as chief development officer for Norwescap, a comprehensive anti-poverty nonprofit that reaches more than 30,000 people each year in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren, and Somerset counties. There, she oversaw a wide array of programs that helped people address both immediate and long-term needs, so they can move away from poverty and towards a more thriving future.
Prior to Norwescap, Thompson’s career has included roles at Eva’s Village (Paterson), Park Avenue Armory (NYC), and Citymeals-on-Wheels (NYC). She has also provided pro-bono consulting support to multiple nonprofits in New York and New Jersey. She serves as president of the Board of Trustees for the Bloomfield Public Library and chairs the Nonprofit Roundtable for the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. She is a resident of Bloomfield, where she lives with her husband and son.
Residents in need have received more than 2 million pounds of donated food through Saddle Brook-based Table to Table’s I-Rescue app. The nonprofit group, which “rescues” fresh food that would’ve been discarded by restaurants and stores, launched the smartphone app about two years ago to connect volunteers with participating businesses. With the tech on their phones, delivery volunteers can keep tabs on available food rescues- notifications offer restaurant locations, pick-up times windows, and donation destinations, among other info. Food is typically delivered to food pantries or group homes throughout New Jersey.
“Table to Table I-Rescue has gone from just a kernel of an idea two years ago to a major food source for feeding our hungry New Jerseyans today,” says Julie Kinner, Vice President of Operations at Table to Table. Find out how to volunteer at tabletotable.org.
Table to Table, in partnership with Rosa Mexicana at the Shops at Riverside, hosted the second annual Fiesta for Good. Guests enjoyed an evening filled with delicious food, drinks, a live auction and more. Through the tremendous generosity of the attendees, Table to Table will be able to deliver enough fresh food for more than 85,000 meals to hungry NJ neighbors.
The Board of Directors for Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, have named Bloomfield native Heather Thompson their new executive director.
In this role, Thompson will oversee all aspects of the organization, including strategic planning; development; supporter and partner engagement; revenue and grant management; operations; and community and government relations, according to a press release from the organization.
“We are excited to have Heather onboard as she brings to Table to Table more than two decades of experience of building community support to drive social change,” says Greg Mueller, chairman of the board, Table to Table. “She will be a tremendous asset and will be pivotal in amplifying our mission of providing fresh, healthy food to those in need.”
For nearly 25 years, Heather has worked for various not-for-profit organizations in New York and New Jersey to create growth strategies, build meaningful relationships with partners, donors, and volunteers, and support the needs of those under-represented within the community.
“The impact Table to Table has made in Northern New Jersey is nothing short of extraordinary,” Thompson said. “I am incredibly excited about my new post and the opportunity to continue the growth of this important organization. At a time when more and more of our neighbors face food insecurity, and there is a growing focus on ending food waste in our country, the mission and work of Table to Table has never been more vital.”
Thompson previously worked as chief development officer for Norwescap, a comprehensive anti-poverty nonprofit that reaches more than 30,000 people each year in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon, Warren, and Somerset Counties.
There she oversaw a wide array of programs that help people address both immediate and long-term needs, so they can move away from poverty and towards a more thriving future.
Prior to Norwescap, Thompson’s career included roles at Eva’s Village in Paterson, Park Avenue Armory in New York City, and Citymeals-on-Wheels in New York.
She has also provided pro-bono consulting support to multiple nonprofits in New York and New Jersey. Heather serves as president of the Board of Trustees for the Bloomfield Public Library and chairs the Nonprofit Roundtable for the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. She is a resident of Bloomfield, where she lives with her husband and son.
Saddle Brook, NJ, December 21, 2023 –Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, celebrates a major milestone of 2 million pounds of food delivered to hungry neighbors via its volunteer-based food rescue app, Table to Table I-Rescue.
In just a little over two years, volunteers using the app have collected free, fresh, and donated food from restaurants and grocery stores and delivered that food to recipient agencies such as food pantries and shelters that feed communities in need throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic Counties. Powered by Food Rescue Hero, the app is available on iOS and Google Play. To download Table to Table I-Rescue, volunteer, or learn more, visit: https://tabletotable.org/i-rescue/
“We are not only proud but grateful! Afterall, Table to Table I-Rescue has gone from just a kernel of an idea two years ago to being a major source for feeding our hungry New Jerseyans today,” says Julie Kinner, VP of Operations for Table to Table. “Because the app is intuitive and flexible, it is the trifecta of food insecurity tools. It is embraced by an amazing community of volunteers, generous food donors, and very appreciative recipient partners,” Kinner concluded.
How Does Table to Table I-Rescue Work?
Doing your part to feed hungry neighbors is easy, flexible, and can be done in about an hour. Simply download Table to Table I-Rescue app (available on IOS and Android) and claim a food rescue. Make sure notifications are on and check the app daily for available rescues. Pick up food within the designated time window and immediately deliver the food donation to a nearby group home or food pantry. Claim a food rescue today by clicking here or if you are a grocery store, food distributor or restaurant and would like to donate excess, fresh food click here.
Saddle Brook – If you have visited a school lunchroom lately, you know the amount of food wasted can be staggering. Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue organization, is on a mission to change this reality with its new initiative, I-Rescue Lunch, which encourages K-12 students to rescue, recycle and reduce food waste while feeding hungry neighbors.
Through the use of the nonprofit’s app, Table to Table I-rescue and key partnerships with school ambassadors, wholesome unopened food like applesauce, fruit, yogurt as well as prepared cafeteria entrees are placed in crates for pickup by Table to Table volunteers and delivered to partners such as shelters, group homes or soup kitchens. Learn more at www.tabletotable.org/foodrescue.
“We are always exploring innovative ways to provide our hungry New Jersey neighbors with nourishment, and school cafeterias-with their high levels of waste-seemed like a natural way to leverage our Table to Table I-Rescue app,” says Julie Kinner, Vice President of Operations, Table to Table. “Although this marks the official I-Rescue Lunch launch, Table to Table’s I-Rescue App launched in May 2021 and now serves as the backbone for this school cafeteria-focused program,” Kinner concluded.
As part of the soft launch of I-Rescue Lunch, Table to Table partnered with a team of middle schoolers at Newark Academy in Livingston six months ago. Overseen by their science teacher, the students collect nutritious, prepared food from the school’s cafeteria, package it up and contact Table to Table to request a volunteer pick up. Schools can also choose to deliver the food themselves to one of Table to Table’s recipient partners.
“I am very proud of the Middle School Newark Academy Food Rescue Team! They saw a problem and took action,” says Debra Tavares, 6th Grade Team Leader and advisor, Newark Academy Science Department. “Since the spring of 2023, every Friday, the students pack up dining hall food for Table to Table to deliver to their clients. The students are actively contributing to the school’s sustainability focus and contributing to the community in a positive way,” concludes Tavares.
The amount of food waste in school cafeterias is prevalent across the United States. According to a study conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kroger Company, an average of 39.2 pounds of food and approximately 28.7 cards of milk per student as wasted. And, at the same time, food insecurity continues to be something that plagues even wealthy states like New Jersey. In fact, 1 in 5 NJ children do not know where their next meal is coming from.
To participate in the I-Rescue Lunch, visit https://tabletotable.org/irescue-lunch.
About Table to Table
Table to Tables is New Jersey’s first food rescue organization. Committed to feeding our hungry neighbors in Northern NJ, Table to Table rescues and delivers healthy, fresh, and preishable food from grocery stores, food distributors and restaurants, and in doing so, nourishes the community while helping out environment. in partnership with hundreds of recipient organizations like food pantries, senior centers, and school programs– along with its powerful network of volunteers– Table to Table supports health and wellness for all. Since its inception in 1999, Table to Table has rescued and delivered the equivalent of more than 288 million meals and saved nearly 98,000 tons of potentially wasted food from landfills. And, through our Table to Table I-rescue app- powered by Food Rescue Hero- we have expanded our distribution footprint to include donations that serve smaller donors and recipient organizations. Independently funded through grants and donations, Table to Table is proud of its Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating for 13 consecutive years. Learn more by visiting https://tabletotable.org/
