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Tag: food banks nj

Ridgewood students are leading the charge against food waste

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Ridgewood & Ho-Ho-Kus Magazine. Click here to read the rest of the article.

In the bustling kitchens of Ridgewood Public Schools, the end of the lunch bell no longer signals the end of a meal’s journey. Instead, it marks the beginning of a “rescue mission.”

Ridgewood has officially joined forces with Table to Table — New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization — to ensure that surplus food reaches the hands of those who need it most.

As of a January 2026, the district has completed 99 food rescues, recovering a stagging 7,489 pounds of nutritious food. The feat places Ridgewood at the forefront of sustainability as the first district in Bergen County — and the only the second in the state — to implement the I-Rescue Lunch program district wide.

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 saved.

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Driver Edgar Brieva rescuing fresh produce from a farm for Table to Table.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in City Lifestyle magazine’s The Oranges, Ramapo Valley, and Northern Highlands editions. Click here to read the rest of the article.

In northern New Jersey, where food insecurity touches every community and billions of pounds of edible food go to waste each year, Table to Table has built a mission rooted in compassion and efficiency. The nonprofit rescues fresh, perishable food and delivers it — free of charge — to neighbors who need it most.

For Executive Director Heather Thompson, the work is both urgent and deeply personal.

“Food represents so much — health, hope, comfort — and I believe it is a human right for everyone to have fresh, nutritious food,” she says. Thompson, whose career includes roles at Citymeals-on-Wheels, Eva’s Village and Norwescap, has seen how quickly families can fall into crisis. “Good, healthy food is often the first thing someone sacrifices when money is tight. And that should not be something we accept as a society.”

Last year, Table to Table rescued enough surplus food to provide more than 23 million meals across Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris and Passaic counties.

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.

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By Executive Director Heather Thompson

Dear Friends, Partners, and Supporters,

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

And, there are plenty of other ways you can get involved:

Individuals and Families

Volunteer
Host a Food Drive
Donate

Corporations and Community/Civic Organizations

  • Rally your employees/members to volunteer for a food distribution, an I-Rescue App takeover, or a day of making bagged meals
  • Make a contribution or organize an employee giving campaign
  • Host a produce or turkey drive        
Become a Partner

Food Businesses and Restaurants

  • Connect with us to donate surplus food to community partners – we’ll pick up from your location for free, and safely deliver to a nearby pantry or shelter
  • If you’re planning to offer free food or meals for your neighbors during this time, we’re happy to help transport and distribute
Donate Food

Schools

  • Host a produce or turkey drive (if you’ve already hosted one – THANK YOU!)
  • Connect with us for cafeteria rescues
Partner With Us

Editor’s note: This article first aired on News 12 New Jersey.

People who run food panties will say that it is not difficult to get people to donate during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They say it’s the other 11 months that are hard.

A group of Bergen County fifth graders are helping to meet that need.

As part of a service project, kids at Willard Elementary in Ridgewood donated hundreds of pounds of fresh produce. All of it is going to Table to Table.

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 saved.

Related:

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