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Tag: volunteering

April 9, 2025 – Saddle Brook, NJ – The Morris County Chamber of Commerce has recognized Table to Table’s I-Rescue App with a 2025 Award for Nonprofit Excellence for Innovative Program. Less than six months since its launch into Morris County, I-Rescue – an innovative app that empowers volunteers to pick up and deliver food donations using their own vehicles, has already facilitated the rescue of more than 80,000 pounds of nutritious surplus food from local grocery stores, farmers markets and restaurants, and redirected it to pantries, shelters and other community agencies throughout Morris County. 

As New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit, Table to Table mobilizes a fleet of refrigerated trucks, alongside hundreds of volunteers, to rescue over 20 million pounds of food each year and ensure it reaches neighbors facing food insecurity.

The expansion of I-Rescue into Morris County last fall was made possible by a generous grant from Impact 100 Garden State.

“We have been so warmly received throughout Morris County and we and could not be prouder of this recognition from The Morris County Chamber of Commerce,” said Heather Thompson, Executive Director, Table to Table. “We are especially grateful to our generous food donors, tireless volunteers, and community partners, as well as the members of Impact 100 Garden State. Every box of fresh produce, every tray of nutritious food, makes a real difference for someone who wasn’t sure where their next meal would come from. Together, we are bridging the gap between food waste and food insecurity,” Thompson concluded.


How does Table to Table I-Rescue Work?
Table to Table I-Rescue App, powered by Food Rescue Hero, allows volunteers to easily rescue surplus fresh and prepared food from local supermarkets, restaurants, and corporate cafeterias and deliver it to our neighbors facing food insecurity in about an hour. To learn more and download I-Rescue, go to https://tabletotable.org/i-rescue/.


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 kept more than 120,700 tons of nutritious, edible food out of landfills—enough for 241,400,846 million meals—and delivered it to our neighbors in need, saving over 544 metric tons of methane from impacting climate change in the process.

Press Contact: Maria Sinopoli, Director of Marketing Communications: msinopoli@tabletotable.org

Editor’s note: This article was aggregated from NorthJersey.com. Click here to read the rest of the article.

NorthJersey.com’s Matt Cortina takes a look at how North Jersey food pantries are trying to meet growing community need with fewer resources due to recent and proposed changes in federal funding. Table to Table’s Executive Director Heather Thompson was asked to weigh in on what we are hearing and seeing from our community partners. 

“Some are seeing longer lines for food, so we are endeavoring to increase our amounts; others are shifting times and locations of their food distributions to avoid being targeted based on the makeup of the populations they serve, so we are adjusting our delivery schedules accordingly,” she shared. “There is so much uncertainty right now around funding for nonprofits and benefits programs for our neighbors, the best we can do is keep our lines of communication with our partners wide open, listen to what they are experiencing and do our best to respond. No matter what happens, the need for fresh food is not going away.”

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.

Related:

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?”

Heather Thompson, Executive Director of Table to Table (tabletotable.org) and Jemmell’z Washington-Rock, OFSA Program Manager (nj.gov/foodsecurity) contribute their inspirations in this video. Listen to their offerings, breathe, and take any encouragement and community you need.

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.

Related:

Mr. and Mrs. Esposito are Table to Table’s March Volunteer Spotlight. It is the first time we have featured someone from Morris County for our Volunteer Spotlight!

“As members of Hands of St. Luke in Long Valley, my husband and I are proud to be part of a dedicated group of volunteers who work with Table to Table. We are honored to help pick up and deliver boxes of food in Morris County from the Chester ShopRite, ensuring that those in need in our communities are fed,” Mrs. Esposito said. “While the need is great, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact alongside many hardworking volunteers. We feel truly humbled to contribute, even in small ways, to improving the lives of others.”

Volunteering Like Mr. and Mrs. Esposito Do

Signing up to be a Table to Table volunteer is easy. Julie Kinner, Table to Table’s Vice President 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! This is what Mr. and Mrs. Esposito uses.

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.

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.

Read the complete story from Seton Hall University.

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.

Related:

Click here to read the complete story in The Paramus Post.

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.

Related:

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.

Read the complete story in Suburban Essex.

Related:

Perhaps the happiest person at Taste of Morristown was Nicole Berezny, Morris County coordinator for Table to Table, a food-rescue organization participating in its first Taste of Morristown, Morristown Green reported. Nicole rescued 13 trays and boxes of food that was delivered to the Market Street Mission.

“We take the food that’s left at the end of the night that would normally be thrown away and we donate it to local organizations,” Berezny said.

Read the complete story in Morristown Green.

Nicole Berezny of Table to Table at Taste of Morristown

The ladies of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at Seton Hall University are Table to Table’s February Volunteer Spotlight.

“Alpha Gamma Delta partners with Table to Table to support our shared mission of combatting food insecurity within out community,” the sorority said. “Committed to reducing food waste, we strive to ensure that surplus food is redirected to those who need it most.”

Alpha Gamma Delta made more than 500 PB&J sandwiches during Table to Table’s first Greek college volunteer initiative earlier this month. The sandwiches were donated to Orange United Methodist Church.

Also, the sorority plans to partner with us more in the future. They want to host another sandwich-making event, along with a food drive.

Volunteering Like Alpha Gamma Delta Did

Signing up to be a Table to Table volunteer is easy. Julie Kinner, Table to Table’s Vice President 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! This is what Veer and his team uses.

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.

Listen to the exciting journey of school food waste solution leader: Table To Table’s Executive Director Heather Thompson. In this episode, Heather shares about her 20 plus year journey in the not for profit world, which includes learning about food waste, and then pursuing solutions to school food waste through a program called I-Rescue Lunch.

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.  

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