High School & College Volunteers
Earn Community Service Hours. Create Real Impact.
Every Friday we connect with Table to Table to run food rescues. Seeing the impact we have on our community means a lot to our girls, and we love what we do.”
— Raven Ortiz, Alpha Gamma Delta sorority Seton Hall University
Impact You Can See
Looking for volunteer opportunities that matter? Join us in our mission to reduce food waste and relieve hunger in New Jersey! High schools and colleges like yours are partnering with us in different ways, including: our signature fundraising program, Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch, cafeteria food rescues through our I-Rescue Lunch program or picking up and delivering food via our Table to Table I-Rescue App. Explore our volunteer programs:
High School volunteers may be eligible for credits and grants through Sustainable Jersey. Learn more here!
Need proof of your community service hours? No worries, just let us know.
I-Rescue App
In roughly one hour, you can feed neighbors in need and redirect perfectly good food from ending up in a landfill. The I-Rescue App connects volunteers like you with local food rescue opportunities, making it easy to pick up surplus food and deliver it to community partners like a local food pantry. Plus, the built-in Impact Tracker lets you see your volunteer hours, pounds of food rescued, and environmental impact.
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. Click here for a list of food donation guidelines.
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.
Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch
Fundraise with your school, club, team, sorority or fraternity by giving up one day’s lunch money to feed neighbors in need. For every $1 donated, Table to Table provides the equivalent of 10 nutritious meals to local families.
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: Host a food drive (or at least one other activity with a community organization) and you could earn 10 points from Sustainable Jersey’s Food Recovery or Civic & Stewardship or Green Challenge requirements. Check their website for specific requirements.
I-Rescue Lunch
Turn cafeteria leftovers into meals for people who need them. The I-Rescue Lunch Program helps students collect safe, unopened surplus food from school cafeterias and redirect it to local food pantries, shelters, and community partners instead of the landfill.
Good faith food donations from schools receive liability protection via the federal Good Samaritan Act and the State of New Jersey.
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. Click here for a list of food donation guidelines.
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.
Food Drives
Bring your friends, teammates, or classmates together to help feed local families. Host a food drive featuring fresh produce or holiday favorites like turkeys, hams, or other nutritious food donations. Click here for a list of food donation guidelines.
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 Sustainable Jersey’s Food Recovery or Civic & Stewardship requirements.
Sandwich Making
Turn teamwork into impact with a sandwich-making event. Grab your friends and work together to make fresh sandwiches for local families facing food insecurity. It’s a fun, hands-on way to give back, build connections, and make a real difference in your community, one sandwich at a time.
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.
Host the event: Purchase the food needed to make the sandwiches. 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 Sustainable Jersey’s Food Recovery or Civic & Stewardship requirements.
Student Ambassadorships
Want to lead change on your campus? Student Ambassadors help expand Table to Table programs, recruit volunteers, promote events, support food donations, and inspire others to get involved. Build leadership skills, earn community service hours, and create meaningful change in your school and community!
How It Works
Connect with a Table to Table’s Volunteer Coordinator: Express your vision for how a student ambassadorship would look on your campus.
Explore events: Check your campus’ events calendar to see when you could host a table to inform students and the community about Table to Table’s mission and ways to get involved.
Speak to the campus events manager: Get permission to table and/or distribute information about Table to Table. We will provide you with all of the needed files.
Presenting Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
