Table to Table: Rescuing Food from Waste, Putting it to Good Use
Posted by Charity Watcher on Tuesday, September 1, 2015
The 1990s, Claire Insalata Poulos’ eyes were opened to the horrifying truth in American culture – tons of usable, healthy, and fresh food was being thrown away by the food industry for various reasons every single day. In 1999, the trained chef-cum-marketing professional launched Table to Table, the first and only non-profit food rescue program in the State of New Jersey.
With the assistance of City Harvest as well as a few of her friends and volunteers, she started gathering excess food from various local restaurants and grocery stores and then distributing it two local soup kitchens. The program was well-received in the community because of its benefits for both the givers and receivers, such as the opportunity to carry out social responsibility corporate programs. Today, Table to Table has a fleet of five refrigerated trucks that distribute food to more than 80 hunger relief organizations throughout northern New Jersey including the counties of Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Passaic.
Basically, Table to Table established partnerships with approximately 200 supermarkets, restaurants and distributors of food wherein the non-profit organization collects food that will otherwise be thrown away. The food collected by the staff and volunteers are then delivered within the same day, free of charge, to more than 80 community organizations. These include homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and homes for the elderly as well as after-school programs.
For its notable effectiveness and efficiency in operations, Table to Table is considered as among the most successful and impactful food rescue programs in the United States – truly, a model for other hunger relief organizations. To date, it has delivered sufficient food supplies for over 75 million meals and counting. Table to Table is also recognised by Charity Navigator as the third-highest 4-star non-profit organization in the State of New Jersey.
Remarkably, many of the founding members and volunteers are still with Table to Table – proof that, indeed, helping others is its own reward.
With the assistance of City Harvest as well as a few of her friends and volunteers, she started gathering excess food from various local restaurants and grocery stores and then distributing it two local soup kitchens. The program was well-received in the community because of its benefits for both the givers and receivers, such as the opportunity to carry out social responsibility corporate programs. Today, Table to Table has a fleet of five refrigerated trucks that distribute food to more than 80 hunger relief organizations throughout northern New Jersey including the counties of Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Passaic.
Basically, Table to Table established partnerships with approximately 200 supermarkets, restaurants and distributors of food wherein the non-profit organization collects food that will otherwise be thrown away. The food collected by the staff and volunteers are then delivered within the same day, free of charge, to more than 80 community organizations. These include homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and homes for the elderly as well as after-school programs.
For its notable effectiveness and efficiency in operations, Table to Table is considered as among the most successful and impactful food rescue programs in the United States – truly, a model for other hunger relief organizations. To date, it has delivered sufficient food supplies for over 75 million meals and counting. Table to Table is also recognised by Charity Navigator as the third-highest 4-star non-profit organization in the State of New Jersey.
Remarkably, many of the founding members and volunteers are still with Table to Table – proof that, indeed, helping others is its own reward.
