Nourishing hope and heart: Food security work, inspiration, and connection with each other are all needed now more than ever. The NJ Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) asks, “What is a quote, meditation, poem, lyric, phrase or thought that you’re adopting as a mantra for your part in this collective work or for your own work/life harmony in 2025?”
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.
Starting last fall, Seton Hall partnered with Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and most extensive food rescue organization. The group works to feed hungry neighbors in northern New Jersey by rescuing and delivering healthy, fresh and perishable food from grocery stores, distributors, schools and restaurants.
Shayne Simmons, a master’s student in the public administration program, has driven the collaboration between Seton Hall and Table to Table.
An outgrowth of Simmons’ involvement with the Food Recovery Network Club as an undergraduate, the initiative is also supported by the university’s Environmental Sustainability Committee and continues to impact the local community.
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.
Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, received a generous $25,000 grant from Avolta’s Journey For Good Foundation in support of its more than 25-year-old mission to reduce food waste and feed individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout northern New Jersey. The foundation is Avolta’s philanthropic arm in North America.
Journey For Good Foundation is the philanthropic arm in North America for Avolta, a leading global travel retail and food & beverage player. In the Summer of 2024, Table to Table launched an official partnership with Avolta to begin rescuing a range of food, including ‘grab and go’ sandwiches, salads, and snacks from numerous HMSHost and Hudson locations within Newark Liberty International Airport.
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.
March 26, 2025– Saddle Brook, NJ – Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, received a generous $25,000 grant from Avolta’s Journey for Good Foundation in support of its more than 25-year-old mission to reduce food waste and feed individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout northern New Jersey.
Journey For Good Foundation is the philanthropic arm in North America for Avolta, a leading global travel retail and food & beverage player. In the Summer of 2024, Table to Table launched an official partnership with Avolta to begin rescuing a range of food, including ‘grab and go’ sandwiches, salads, and snacks from numerous HMSHost and Hudson locations within Newark Liberty International Airport. This surplus, donated food is then delivered directly to pantries and social service organizations in Newark and surrounding communities, ensuring it reaches those who need it most while it is still fresh.
“Thank you, Journey For Good Foundation – we are incredibly grateful for your partnership. Through your support, Table to Table can keep more quality food out of landfills, and nourish even more children, families, seniors and veterans who struggle to put healthy meals on the table,” said Heather Thompson, Executive Director, Table to Table. “In fact, this incredible gift will provide resources for us to rescue and deliver enough food for approximately 250,000 nutritious meals.” Thompson concluded.
“On behalf of Journey For Good Foundation, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the thousands of passengers who, through their generosity, have made it possible for us to give back to communities across northern New Jersey,” said Journey For Good Foundation Director Jordan Silverman. “We are deeply humbled to support Table to Table’s work reducing food waste and ensuring that nutritious food reaches our neighbors who need it most.”
About Table to Table
Table to Table (http://www.tabletotable.org) 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.
About Journey For Good Foundation
Journey For Good Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to fight poverty in the local community with food, shelter, education, and workforce development. Prior to 2024, Journey For Good Foundation, Inc. operated as HMSHost Foundation, Inc. Journey For Good Foundation is a charitable arm of Avolta in North America and was established to unite and build upon HMSHost Foundation, Hudson, and Dufry’s charitable giving efforts. Charitable work carried out by Journey For Good Foundation is done based on pillars of giving:
· Relieve hunger and promote nutritional wellness through food related initiatives;
· Combat homelessness through access to safe housing, furnishings, clothing, and stable employment;
· Encourage the next generation through access to education and training;
· Provide opportunity for financial stability through hospitality industry training and placement;
· Honor our veterans and their families by supporting programs that meet their needs for food, shelter, medical care, and job training and placement.
Table to Table, NJ’s First and Largest Food Rescue, Makes History by Partnering with HMSHost and Hudson at Newark Airport Stores to Pick Up Food Surplus
Most high schoolers spend their summers unwinding, but Veer Agarwal, spent his brainstorming. Inspired by his passion for service and a knack for coding, Veer built a platform connecting surplus food and leftovers from restaurants to local food pantries. The result? ResQFoods, a tech-driven initiative tackling food waste and leftovers in his community, Suburban Essex magazine reported.
Now, recently backed by Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food rescue nonprofit organization, he uses their I-Rescue app for donating tracking.
With ResQFoods, he’s proving that one idea—and one determined teen—can make an impact.
15th Annual Fashion Show to Feature Gourmet Food, Silent and Live Auction, and Runway Show
Saddle Brook, N.J. – February 26, 2025 – Behind the Seams, an annual high-energy fashion show, will benefit Table to Table, a community-based food rescue program, and take place at Bottagra Restaurant in Hawthorne on Wednesday, May 14 from 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. This year marks the 15th annual Behind the Seams which attracts over 300 guests each year. Proceeds from Behind the Seams will help Table to Table continue its mission of collecting fresh, nutritious, perishable food that would otherwise be wasted and delivering it free to organizations serving the hungry in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Passaic counties.
“Behind the Seams is one of my favorite nights of the year because it brings together a group of people who are passionate about giving back to their local communities and they create an energy and excitement that’s unparalleled,” said Joey Mazza, Director of Special Events and Restaurant Partnerships for Table to Table. “We look forward to a night of fine dining, entertainment, and fashion that will allow Table to Table feed our neighbors.”
Since Table to Table was established in 1999, it has:
Rescued 120,700 tons of nutritious food
Rescued and delivered enough food for 241,400,846 meals
Saved 544 metric tons of methane
Behind the Seams will consist of a lavish cocktail hour, gourmet food and beverage stations, silent and live auctions, and a tented runway show featuring 2025 spring and summer styles by two clothing boutiques with long-standing roots in New Jersey. Male styles will be presented by Sal Lauretta for Men, a men’s shop in Midland Park that specializes in fine made-to-measure and designer menswear. Boutique 811, a women’s fashion boutique in Franklin Lakes that offers unique styles plus personal styling services, will showcase seasonal trends for women.
Tickets for Behind the Seams 2025 are currently on sale. To purchase a ticket, reserve a table, or secure a sponsorship, visit: https://tabletotable.org/fashionshow/
About Table to Table Table to Table (http://www.tabletotable.org) 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 partner organizations 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 more than 241 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons from being released into the environment.
I-Rescue Lunch encourages K-12 students to rescue, recycle and reduce food waste. Partnering with schools, wholesome, unopened food is donated to people in the community who are in need.
As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue, our mission is to reduce food waste and provide nourishment to our food-insecure neighbors throughout North Jersey. We rescue millions of pounds of fresh food annually that would otherwise be wasted and deliver it to partner organizations who support the nearly 1 million people in our area who need it most.
Together, we can reduce food waste in our home and make a positive impact on the planet. Every little bit of effort—no matter how small–leads to change.
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.
It may come as a surprise, but reducing food waste does a lot more than just ensure more food for people who need it. Food waste and loss reduction is actually a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. It’s an issue that Table to Table has embraced as a core part of our mission, focusing on rescuing perfectly good food that would otherwise be discarded in landfills and redirecting it to people facing food insecurity. This approach not only helps address hunger but also mitigates environmental harm. The best part is that anyone, anywhere can make a difference by simply reducing the amount of food they waste.
The entire lifecycle of food—from growing and packaging to distributing, storing, and ultimately throwing it away—accounts for up to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Within this, food loss and waste alone contribute to a staggering 10% of those emissions. By tackling this issue, we have a chance to significantly reduce our environmental footprint.
A particularly concerning aspect of food waste is the methane it produces when decomposing in landfills. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has a much stronger impact on global warming than carbon dioxide. However, methane breaks down relatively quickly in the atmosphere, usually within about 12 years – a much shorter time span than carbon dioxide. This means that reducing methane emissions can have a rapid and noticeable cooling effect on the planet, providing a short-term solution while we continue to work on longer-term climate strategies.
The global community has recognized methane as an urgent priority, describing it as an “emergency brake” to slow the effects of climate change. By addressing methane emissions, we can quickly lower atmospheric greenhouse gases and reduce short-term warming. Since food degrading in landfills is responsible for an estimated 14% of U.S. methane emissions, reducing food waste is an essential, immediate step to create a more sustainable and resilient future for our planet.
ReFED, a U.S.-based nonprofit that works to advance solutions to food waste, released new data with support from the Global Methane Hub that reveals the methane hotspots for uneaten or “surplus” food in the U.S., and highlights solutions that can reduce waste and slash methane emissions. Learn more here: ReFED Blog.
Since starting our food rescue mission in 1999, Table to Table has prevented more than 544 metric tons of methane gas from being released into the atmosphere. You can be part of the solution right here in New Jersey! To help reduce food waste in your community, you can claim a food rescue using our I-Rescue app or volunteer.
