back-to-top
x
close

Tag: what NJ nonprofits accept surplus food?

Hats off to our friends at Chatham Day School, who participated in a food audit led by our staff.

At lunchtime, students placed their food waste in the buckets to be weighed. At the end of each lunch period, students could see and better understand how food can easily be wasted. We had a great time and are grateful to the students, families, faculty and administrators for supporting our mission to reduce food waste and feed neighbors in need. Go Chatham Day School! 

Schools like yours can join us in our mission to reduce food waste and relieve hunger in New Jersey! We offer several school-focused programs, including:

Click here for more information about our school-based initiatives.

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 from entering the environment.

Related:

Editor’s note: This op-ed was co-authored by Heather Thompson, Table to Table executive director, Helen Lanctuit, CEO of Share My Meals and co-chair of the Meal Recovery Coalition, and Allie Wilson, director of Northeast operations, FoodRecovery.org. It first appeared on binje.com.

Every day in New Jersey, thousands of pounds of perfectly good food are thrown away — not just scraps, but perfectly edible items and full, untouched meals. At the same time, nearly 1 million residents struggle with food insecurity.

This isn’t just a moral failure — it’s a policy gap. And it’s one we have the power to close.

Recently, The Meal Recovery Coalition had the opportunity to testify before the New Jersey Assembly’s Environment, Natural Resources, and Solid Waste Committee, sharing what we know to be true: New Jersey has the potential to lead the nation in tackling food waste and hunger — not just through community programs, but through bold, bipartisan legislation.

We’ve built a coalition of corporate partners, food service providers, hospitals, universities, and community organizations to recover healthy, prepared meals and deliver them to those who need them most. Without intervention, this nourishing food — sourced from distributors and supermarkets, cafeterias, commercial kitchens, and catering services — will never reach a plate. Instead, they’re headed straight to a landfill.

With the support of state leaders, we can change that. Right now, several bills moving through the legislature would dramatically improve New Jersey’s food recovery infrastructure:

These are smart, cost-effective steps. Research shows that every $1 invested in meal recovery yields $14 in public benefit — from avoided greenhouse gas emissions to reduced landfill use and improved public health. This is climate policy, health policy, and hunger policy in one.

We’ve seen what’s possible: our organizations alone have already recovered and redistributed enough food for millions of meals. But we’re just scratching the surface. With the right policies and partnerships in place, we could recover tens of millions more.

New Jersey can’t afford to waste another meal. We have the partners. We have the model. Now we need the momentum. Let’s make food recovery the norm across our state.

To learn more about how you, your organization, or your business can support or participate in food recovery — from donating surplus meals to partnering with local nonprofits — click here.

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 from entering the environment.

Related:

Pantry Announces Partnership with Table to Table to Expand Food Access and Reduce Food Local Waste

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s new partnership with the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry originally appeared on Montville Patch. Click here to read the entire story.

The Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry celebrates 15 years of dedicated community service today, April 25th. Marking this significant milestone, the pantry proudly announces a new partnership with Table to Table, Northern New Jersey’s pioneering food rescue organization. This collaboration, launched yesterday will enhance the pantry’s ability to combat food insecurity by providing weekly deliveries of rescued food, starting with breakfast items and baked goods from local Wawa stores.

This partnership represents a major step in the pantry’s ongoing mission to meet the increasing needs of the community through sustainable and cost-effective solutions. As demand for food assistance grows, this initiative will allow the pantry to expand its offerings without increasing operational costs. In March 2025 alone, the pantry supported 413 individuals across 133 visits, including welcoming 7 newly registered households, underscoring the urgency for innovative food sourcing.

“Heading into our 15th year of service, it’s more important than ever that we deepen our impact,” said Danielle Mangione-Vasser, Co-Director of the Montville Kiwanis Food Pantry. “This partnership with Table to Table allows us to expand food access, reduce waste, and better support the hundreds of individuals who count on us—without increasing our operating costs.”

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:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Table to Table’s second Partners in Good Health Conference appeared on ROI-NJ’s website May 12. Click here for the complete story.

Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue organization, successfully concluded its second annual Partners in Good Health Conference co-sponsored by Montclair State University’s Social Work and Child Advocacy, College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The conference is designed to connect, inform and empower the nonprofit’s partner pantries, social service agencies, shelters and other community partners who distribute the food delivered by Table to Table to communities in need throughout Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson and Morris counties.

The daylong event, which took place on the university’s campus, featured subject matter experts in the areas of nutrition, emotional resilience and “micro-habit” changes for better health. The afternoon capped off with a town hall discussion led by New Jersey Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA) team members Mark Dinglasan, Dan Dychtwald, Ph.D., MPH, MS and Jemmell’z Washington-Rock, as well New Jersey Assemblywoman Shama D. Haider, who serves as chairwoman for the Assembly Committee on Children, Families, and Food Security.

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:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Veer Agarwal and his food rescue club ResQFood, originally appeared on News 12 NJ’s Jersey Proud segment. Click here for their story.

News 12 New Jersey highlighted Veer Agarwal on their Jersey Proud segment Thursday. Agarwal is the founder of ResQFood, a food rescue club at Livingston High School, and a Table to Table Food Rescue Hero. We’ve helped Veer and his team of 30 volunteers perform more than 200 rescues of nutritious food in and around Livingston by coordinating the pick-ups and drop-offs.

“I am a proud volunteer of Table to Table because of what this organization and cause stands for. Every person in New Jersey should have secure access to healthy meals, but the reality is that 1 million people are food insecure and 3 billion pounds of food gets thrown out annually,” Agarwal previously said. “When picking up surplus food from restaurants and donating to local food pantries, I feel satisfied knowing that some family out there is benefitting from my efforts,”

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:

Editor’s note: This excerpt about Behind The Seams 2025 was taken from the original article that appeared in Total Food Service Magazine’s May 2025 issue. Click here to read the entire article.

In Northern New Jersey, something remarkable has taken root—an ever-growing movement of restaurants, retailers, and community members joining forces to tackle one of society’s most pressing issues: hunger. At the heart of this effort is the connection between the community and solving the issue. It begins with individuals and businesses stepping forward to create a solution. In this case, a business and its visionary leadership: Ralph Lauretta of Sal Lauretta for Men has done exactly that. With his friend, Joey Mazza, the Behind the Seams Fashion Show was born.

The collaboration is set to return for its 15th year on Wednesday, May 14, at the elegant Bottagra Restaurant in Hawthorne. For the first time, Lauretta and Mazza have teamed with Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and largest food rescue nonprofit. This high-energy evening, blending gourmet food, fashion, and philanthropy, is more than just a celebration—it’s a powerful demonstration of what’s possible when people rally for a cause greater than themselves. What started as an idea between friends over fashion and charity has grown into a full-scale, high-impact collaboration transforming he way businesses give back. From year one, the event has supported community-focused nonprofits.

“I’ve always believed our store should be a platform for change,” Lauretta detailed. “With Table to Table, it’s local, it’s tangible, and you see the impact in your own backyard.”

To purchase tickets to Behind The Seams 2025, click here.

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:

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

Ridgewood is expanding its composting program thanks to a new food recycling bin being installed in the village, official said. Department of Public Works Sean Hamilin told NorthJersey.com that residents can drop off their food scraps 24 hours a day, seven days a week, an increase from the limited hours and days residents used to be able to, the website reported.

Ridgewood began its food scraps composting program in March 2021. Since then, the village has diverted 88 tons of food waste, which equates to 26 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, Village Manager Keith Kazmark told NorthJersey.com.

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 from entering the environment.

Related:

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

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.

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:

© 2025 TableToTable - All rights reserved. Table to Table is a 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID 22-3646125

Privacy Policy