The Princeton Public Schools has teamed up with Share My Meals to reduce food waste through the delivery of surplus prepared meals to Princeton-area residents.
Surplus prepared meals are collected from the cafeterias in each of the six schools in the Princeton Public Schools, and distributed to recipients on a weekly basis. The first pickup occurred Jan. 10.
About 10% of Mercer County’s population faces food insecurity, while some of the food prepared in cafeteria settings goes to waste for a variety of reasons – and that’s where Share My Meals steps in.
By collecting those surplus meals and delivering them to families and individuals, Share My Meals meets its twin goals of reducing the environmental impact of food waste and helping to feed families.
The initiative is a collaborative effort among Share My Meals, the Princeton Public Schools and Pomptonian Food Service, which is the school district’s food service provider.
This is Share My Meals’ second collaboration with a K-12 school district and also its second collaboration with Pomptonian Food Service, officials said. The initial collaboration was made with the Morris School District.
Meg Lembo, the director of outreach for Share My Meals, said the Princeton-based nonprofit group is thrilled to work with the Princeton Public Schools and its food provider to highlight the importance of community-driven solutions.
Collaborating with Share My Meals lines up with the Princeton Public Schools’ goals of sustainability and community support, said Shannon Barlow, the school district’s food systems literacy coordinator.
“By donating our surplus meals, we are not only reducing food waste but also ensuring that students and families in our community have access to nutritious food,” Barlow said.
Pleased with the success of the food recovery and distribution effort, Share My Meals is looking forward to expanding the model to other school districts. The goal is to create a broader network of meal recovery efforts across New Jersey.
