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Regular readers of ROI-NJ know we shed light on organizations that are taking steps to confront food insecurity—especially when it’s simple things, like rescuing food that already has been prepared.

Such a thing happened this week when Table to Table, the state’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, announced it has added an airport to its donor list for the first time in its 25-year history.

Table to Table is now rescuing a range of food from Newark Liberty International Airport, including ‘grab and go’ sandwiches, salads and snacks from numerous HMSHost and Hudson locations.

“With three billion meals wasted annually in New Jersey and one million residents experiencing food insecurity, Table to Table is truly grateful to have food donors like HMSHost and Hudson stores at Newark Liberty International Airport joining us to relieve hunger and reduce food waste,” Table To Table Executive Director Heather Thompson said.

“Next time you walk through Newark Airport and notice all the fresh food at these retailers and restaurants—know that every week, all that extra food is being safely picked up and delivered to people who need it.”

Table to Table’s partnership with HMSHost and Hudson, which is part of Avolta, a global travel experience player which operates travel convenience, specialty retail, duty-free, and food and beverage locations in travel venues in 73 countries, soft-launched in late summer.

Currently, Table to Table rescues food from nine HMSHost dining venues in Terminal B and seven Hudson retail locations in Terminals A and B. Plans are in place to grow the program with additional dining venues in Terminal C in the coming months.

Jordi Martin-Consuegra, chief operating officer for Avolta in North America, said the company was eager to help.

“Across our more than 2,000 travel retail and food and beverage locations in North America, there is a tremendous opportunity to have a positive impact in the communities we serve,” she said. “We are proud to partner with Table to Table at Newark Liberty International Airport to help ensure that less food ends up in landfills and more of it finds a way to the tables of those who need it.

“We look forward to growing this program to fight food insecurity throughout New Jersey.”

Fighting food insecurity is easier than you may think.

Table to Table says it rescues fresh, nutritious food to 270+ 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, it has rescued more than 109,000 tons of nutritious food—enough for over 311 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 72,000 tons of CO2eq from being released into the environment.

Want to get involved? Click here for more information.

Credit: ROI-NJ

Saddle Brook-based Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, has for the first time in its 25-year history added an airport to its food donor roster. The organization is rescuing a range of food, including ‘grab and go’ sandwiches, salads, and snacks from numerous HMSHost and Hudson locations within Newark Liberty International Airport.

“With three billion meals wasted annually in New Jersey and one million residents experiencing food insecurity, Table to Table is truly grateful to have food donors like HMSHost and Hudson stores at Newark Liberty International Airport joining us to relieve hunger and reduce food waste,” said Heather Thompson, executive director, Table to Table. “Next time you walk through Newark Airport and notice all the fresh food at these retailers and restaurants—know that every week, all that extra food is being safely picked up and delivered to people who need it,” Thompson concluded.

Table to Table’s partnership with HMSHost and Hudson—part of leading global travel experience player Avolta, which operates travel convenience, specialty retail, duty-free, and food and beverage locations in travel venues in 73 countries—soft-launched in late summer. Currently, Table to Table rescues food from nine HMSHost dining venues in Terminal B and seven Hudson retail locations in Terminals A and B. Plans are in place to grow the program with additional dining venues in Terminal C in the coming months.

“Across our more than 2,000 travel retail and food and beverage locations in North America, there is a tremendous opportunity to have a positive impact in the communities we serve. We are proud to partner with Table to Table at Newark Liberty International Airport to help ensure that less food ends up in landfills and more of it finds a way to the tables of those who need it. We look forward to growing this program to fight food insecurity throughout New Jersey,” said Jordi Martin-Consuegra, chief operating officer, North America, Avolta.

Credit: The Paramus Post

Saddle Brook-based Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, has for the first time in its 25-year history added an airport to its food donor roster. The organization is rescuing a range of food, including ‘grab and go’ sandwiches, salads, and snacks from numerous HMSHost and Hudson locations within Newark Liberty International Airport.

“With three billion meals wasted annually in New Jersey and one million residents experiencing food insecurity, Table to Table is truly grateful to have food donors like HMSHost and Hudson stores at Newark Liberty International Airport joining us to relieve hunger and reduce food waste,” said Heather Thompson, executive director, Table to Table. “Next time you walk through Newark Airport and notice all the fresh food at these retailers and restaurants—know that every week, all that extra food is being safely picked up and delivered to people who need it,” Thompson concluded.

Table to Table’s partnership with HMSHost and Hudson—part of leading global travel experience player Avolta, which operates travel convenience, specialty retail, duty-free, and food and beverage locations in travel venues in 73 countries—soft-launched in late summer. Currently, Table to Table rescues food from nine HMSHost dining venues in Terminal B and seven Hudson retail locations in Terminals A and B. Plans are in place to grow the program with additional dining venues in Terminal C in the coming months.

“Across our more than 2,000 travel retail and food and beverage locations in North America, there is a tremendous opportunity to have a positive impact in the communities we serve. We are proud to partner with Table to Table at Newark Liberty International Airport to help ensure that less food ends up in landfills and more of it finds a way to the tables of those who need it. We look forward to growing this program to fight food insecurity throughout New Jersey,” said Jordi Martin-Consuegra, chief operating officer, North America, Avolta.

Credit: New Jersey Business Magazine

Fresh, healthy food provides much more than just sustenance. Access to nutritious food improves overall health, increases positive medical outcomes of those who are ill, supports stronger academic performance for children and enables families to use more of their resources for other critical needs like rent or medicine. Yet the American food system is awash with inefficiency and inequity, with a high percentage of the food processed and shipped to our supermarkets, restaurants, and homes ending up going to waste.

Table to Table was created to change this system. Founded in 1999, Table to Table has saved over 109,000 tons of food from landfills, delivered enough food for over 311,229,000 million meals and helped feed hundreds of thousands of NJ families.

Since 2011, The Healthcare Foundation of NJ has been a key supporter of Table to Table’s work in the greater Newark area, providing 14 grants between 2011-2024 totaling more than half a million dollars.

Table to Table receives food donations from over 250 sources in our area, including supermarkets and restaurant wholesalers. The food is then distributed to individuals and families in need, through schools, senior centers, and community-based organizations.

During HFNJ’s latest grant with Table to Table in 2023, the organization delivered 162,200 pounds of food to Belmont Runyan School, 233,250 pounds to George Washington Carver School; 159,063 pounds to Luis Martin Munoz School, 287,770 pounds to Central High School, and 172,628 pounds to First Ave. School. Table to Table delivered 197,986 pounds to Ironbound Community Corporation, and 65,000 pounds to ELC. Four senior centers received an aggregate of about 25,000 pounds, and local colleges received an aggregate 13,000 pounds.

Table to Table is utilizing state-of-the-art technology to adapt to giving patterns. Table to Table found that their largest donors were donating less in recent years, while small-to-medium donors were closing the gap. The organization created and launched the I-Rescue app which makes it easier for donors like restaurants to alert the organization when a car-sized donation is available for pick-up – saving more food from going to waste and getting it into the eager mouths and stomachs of those in need of a nutritious meal. And this means more healthier people in our community.

Credit: The Healthcare Foundation of NJ

Behind the Counter with The Food Czar shines a spotlight on Table to Table, New Jersey’s first food and most successful food rescue organization.

Dedicated to reducing food waste and feeding those who need it most, Table to Table partners with restaurants, supermarkets, and other food providers to rescue fresh, high-quality, and nutritious food. This rescued food is then delivered to Table to Table’s community partners like soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and senior centers. Behind the Counter with The Food Czar had the pleasure of sitting down with Heather Thompson, Executive Director of Table to Table, to explore the issue of food insecurity and the vital importance of providing healthy meals to our neighbors in need. We also discuss how you can get involved and become a food rescue hero with their volunteer-driven app, Table to Table I-Rescue. Together, we can fight hunger, reduce waste, and create a stronger, more compassionate community—because every meal matters, and every action counts!

Credit: YouTube

Join us in congratulating Rita Sorbera, Table to Table’s November Volunteer of the Month.

Rita has been volunteering with Table to Table since 2021. She said she volunteers with us because no one should go without food.

“Too many people in our communities do not have resources to feed their families. I am grateful to Table to Table for making a difference and in turn, allowing me to make a difference,” Rita said.

Signing up to be a Table to Table volunteer is easy. Julie Kinner, Table to Table’s VP of Operations, said all you have to do is download the Table to Table I-Rescue app, powered by Food Rescue Hero, on your phone to become a food rescue hero! You’ll complete a simple registration process and volunteer agreement, and then you can get started. The app walks you through every step! Or, you could do what Kyle and Musashi did and organize a fresh food drive.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome to volunteer with our food rescue program. However, the driver must have a valid driver’s license, and a valid vehicle registration and insurance. 

Since we launched, more than 350 volunteers have completed more than 9,600 rescues and delivered more than 2 million pounds of donated food that would have been thrown away.

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 end up in landfills, contributing to climate change. We 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.

By Nicolle Walker

As a personal chef, I am always thinking about the next meal that I am making. And as a food access advocate and Table to Table volunteer/emerging leader, I am always thinking about how to make sure that food waste becomes a thing of the past. 

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that begs for excess. The “once-a-year” meal promises leftovers galore, but how many days in a row can we really eat “gobbler” sandwiches? I have some new ideas to transform that turkey and sides into new meals that you will want to savor, maybe even more than the traditional ones! 

Stuffing Strata

Stuffing Strata is the perfect morning after breakfast.

Before heading off to bed combine leftover stuffing with shredded turkey (or ham), any roasted veggies, eggs and cream, and a healthy sprinkle of cheese.

Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight, then bake covered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes for a hearty breakfast that everyone will love. 

Potato Soup

Mashed potatoes almost never last in my house, but if you find yourself with extras, try making a pot of potato soup!

Bring your mashed potatoes to room temperature, then combine them in a pot with your choice of chicken or vegetable broth and whisk. Start with equal amounts of potatoes and broth, then thin until you find your desired consistency.

Serve with shredded cheddar, sliced scallions, maybe some crumbled bacon, and of course a turkey sandwich! 

These are just a few ideas about transforming Thanksgiving leftovers into delicious meals! Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Editor’s note: Nicolle Walker is a volunteer with Table to Table and a member of our Emerging Leaders Council. She is the executive chef and owner of Love & Plates.

The Saddle River Inn, an acclaimed restaurant owned by Table to Table’s newest Board of Directors trustee, Jamie Knott, was named to OpenTable’s annual list of the top 100 eateries in the United States.

The honor is the latest in a series of accolades Knott has received this year.

He was named the Chef Honoree at Table to Table’s 25th Anniversary Chefs Gala Sept. 25.

“There’s enough food on this planet for everyone who is food insecure. But it’s not always making its way to the right mouths,” Knott said at the gala. “That’s why Table to table is so crucial, and frankly, they’re saving lives out here. I vow to carry on the incredible work that’s been done over the last two and a half decades, and look for ways to expand our reach and impact even further.”

Knott also recently participated in a celebratory third anniversary celebration of Chef Antonio De Ieso’s Fiorentini restaurant, an event that helped raise enough to support the rescue and delivery of at nearly 300,000 pounds of healthy food!

Knott was also named one of the top restauranteurs in the Garden State by New Jersey Monthly magazine.

Knott is also the chef-owner of Madame and Kinjo. He warmly welcomes guests for flavorful, unforgettable dining experiences focused on locally sourced, fresh ingredients, reflecting his commitment to quality. These restaurants “have quickly become some of the most celebrated restaurants in New Jersey this year,” New Jersey Monthly stated.

Knott’s portfolio of restaurants is consistently praised and acknowledged by media and influencers alike. Educated at the New York Restaurant School, Knott’s career is marked by innovation and a deep understanding of the culinary world.

Congratulations, Chef Jamie Knott!

Since we launched, more than 350 volunteers have completed more than 9,600 rescues and delivered more than 2 million pounds of donated food that would have been thrown away.

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 end up in landfills, contributing to climate change. We deliver it to partner organizations who support the nearly 1 million people in our area who need it most.

https://www.opentable.com/c/top-restaurants/top-100/#new-jersey

Credit: OpenTable

About 316 million pounds of food will be wasted this Thanksgiving, according to ReFED, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending loss and waste across the food system.

The 316 million pounds of food represents more than $556 million worth of groceries wasted in a single day. This discarded food could provide five meals each to the more than 48 million individuals experiencing food insecurity in the United States. In New Jersey, officials estimate that 1 million residents are food insecure.

ReFED reports that nearly two-thirds, 58 percent, of the food wasted on Thanksgiving will come from just two sources: turkey and milk. The amount of wasted turkey alone is about 8.2 million whole turkeys, about 4 percent of all the turkeys the United States produces each year.

This wasted food will release nearly 5,000 metric tons of methane, or enough electricity to power 26,000 homes a year.

As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue, Table to Table’s mission is to reduce food waste by rescuing nutritious food and deliver it to our food-insecure neighbors throughout northern New Jersey. We rescue millions of pounds of fresh food annually that would otherwise be wasted and end up in landfills. This contributes to climate change. We 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. Join us. Become a food rescue hero by downloading the Table to Table I-Rescue app. Claim a rescue, pick the food up, and deliver it to a local nonprofit. Most rescues take less than 1 hour.

Starting with a van and a dream, Claire Insalata Poulos has spent a quarter-century fighting food insecurity and food waste with the nonprofit Table to Table.

In just one recent year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says, roughly 66 million tons of food were wasted in America. If even a fraction of that could be “rescued,” millions of people could be fed every day. That is the idea behind the Saddle Brook-based nonprofit Table to Table—and the animating passion of its founder, Claire Insalata Poulos.

A California native, 68-year-old Poulos moved to Bergen County in 1974 while working for IBM’s marketing team and lived in Englewood for 35 years with her husband, Peter Poulos, whose family owned and operated the iconic NYC restaurant Papaya King before he sold it in 2002. She now splits her time between California and Bergen County. Taking a year off from working in 1984, she enrolled in a patisserie program at the Culinary Institute of America, and then in professional chef training at Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education). Then she worked briefly as a volunteer for Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit, raising money for local hunger relief. At the time, food pantries were the only agencies serving the hungry of northern New Jersey. City Harvest, a New York City food rescue nonprofit, declined her suggestion of expansion into New Jersey, but pledged to share help and advice if she wanted to start a similar project herself. She did.

So, starting with a single van on Labor Day weekend 1999, Poulos and a few others picked up food from two supermarkets and the Alpine Country Club and delivered it to three agencies in Elizabeth and Paterson. Table to Table was born, and became Poulos’s full-time job once she retired from IBM. Twenty-five years later, the nonprofit has rescued more than 100,000 tons of nutritious food and given it those who needed it most.

How did your love of food start?

I come from a family of Italian food brats. Everyone cooks. We talk about food, we cook together, and we’re always trying to “out-dazzle” each other with some delicious new dish. My mother was a traditional ’50s homemaker with six children. We ate together at 5:30 every night. That table was our gathering place. It was inclusive, welcoming to out-siders, the stage for debates and a safe place for ideas and plans. The food connected us.

What inspired you to start Table to Table?

A lot of things. Growing up in California and seeing all the food left in the fields. Cooking school, where we’d prepare elaborate dishes every day, which we’d then taste, critique and ultimately discard. I remember asking if I could take the “leftovers” someplace to be eaten. But in those days there weren’t many places willing to accept a Cherry Clafoutis or Galette Des Rois.

Any memories from Table to Table’s early days?

I worked with a local chef—Jamie Milkman from Jamie’s Restaurant on 9W. One day, during Thanks-giving weekend, he called me about several trays of leftover turkey sandwiches he had prepared for the holiday. “Hey, what can we do with all these leftover sandwiches?” he said. I loaded them into my trunk and took them to a safe house in Bergen County. They were devoured that night.

Signs of success?

It was satisfying when mothers came up to us and said, “I haven’t had fresh fruit like this to give my kids since last summer.” And a woman said: “I’m 87 years old, and I’ve never had a steak until now.”

A challenge from those early days?

Raising enough money to keep the trucks on the road. We were never without people willing to donate food or, certainly, places to bring it—funds were always the biggest challenge. We tried our best to distinguish ourselves and engage the community. Miraculously, it worked.

How has Table to Table grown?

We always knew we wanted to go deep rather than wide. Our focus was exclusively Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Essex counties. But in 2021, when we started using the Table to Table I-Rescue app, there was such a huge response from the community that we decided to include Morris County as well. I took a picture once of people waiting for our food at one of our local mobile markets. I love that image, because it shows the diversity of everyone we serve—like a cross-section of New Jersey.

What does your family think of your charity work?

My siblings are all involved in volunteer work supporting their own communities, and my husband constantly complains that I never have time to make him dinner.

What’s your favorite place in Bergen?

Bergen County Camera. I always wanted to hone my photography skills, and I love the Westwood location.

Favorite Bergen restaurant?

Saddle River Inn. Jamie Knott is an incredibly talented guy—and he just joined the Table to Table board. (Lucky us!) I hope someday we’ll have the chance to cook together.

—Kirsten Meehan

Credit: Bergen Magazine

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