In a commendable initiative, a school district in Indiana has partnered with a local nonprofit to ensure that leftover cafeteria food is repurposed to help students in need. Elkhart Community Schools and the organization Cultivate have launched a pilot program aimed at providing weekend meals for children at Woodland Elementary.
As reported by WSBT News, the program delivers a backpack filled with eight frozen meals to a select group of students. These meals are made from food that was prepared for lunch but ultimately went uneaten. The plan is to eventually expand this program to other schools within the district.
While students receive breakfast and lunch during the week, weekends can be a struggle for those who may lack sufficient food. Jim Carter from Cultivate explains that the organization sources food from various providers, including catering companies and large food service operations like schools. “It’s easy to overlook schools as a source of food waste,” Carter notes.
The rescued food is transformed into convenient frozen dinners, allowing kids to take home nutritious meals. “Over-preparation is a common occurrence,” he adds. “We take well-prepared food, mix it with other ingredients, and create individual frozen meals.”
Currently, 20 elementary students benefit from this initiative, bringing home eight frozen meals every Friday until the end of the school year. Sarah Landon, who oversees student support services in the district, emphasizes that this effort addresses a significant issue. “Elkhart Community Schools was discarding a lot of food,” she says. “Now, Cultivate comes to rescue it three times a week.”
The Leadership Academy of the Chamber of Commerce played a crucial role in launching this pilot program. Member Emily Foster expressed her pride in the initiative, stating, “It’s making a huge difference. Hearing that children go home on weekends without food is truly heartbreaking.”
Across the nation, schools are increasingly finding innovative solutions to combat food insecurity among students. Some have implemented “share tables” where uneaten food is made available for kids who may need extra nourishment.
While it’s disheartening that food insecurity exists, it’s heartening to see schools and organizations actively addressing these gaps. One can only hope that this pilot program expands beyond its current scope and inspires similar efforts in other areas. If you’re interested in contributing to the work of Cultivate, you can learn more about how to help.
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Summary
An Indiana school district has collaborated with a nonprofit to create a program that sends frozen meals made from leftover cafeteria food home with students in need. This initiative aims to alleviate weekend food insecurity and has the potential to expand to other schools.
Keyphrase: school cafeteria leftover meals
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