Parents fill up their child's lunch box with items from just about every food group, but with the endless cheesy Goldfish and squeezable applesauce to devour, some food is bound to go to waste. Plus, the cafeteria is a prime socializing location, so who has the time to go through all those snacks anyway?! Well, in an effort to reduce waste and give back to families in need, elementary schools across the country are implementing "share tables" to ensure no lunch items are wasted.
At share tables, students can leave unopened food or drink items that they don't want, so anyone can take something they want off the table (I'm lookin' at you, Doritos). And for those who may not have had enough to eat, they can grab something additional to have a more balanced lunch. Once the school day is over, each school's administrators will take the remaining food to a food bank, church, or charity. It's a straightforward concept, which raises the question: why don't all schools have something like this? Not only is it an excellent, organized way for students to trade snacks, but it's also thoughtful and efficient.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, 20 public elementary schools in Orange County, FL, have a program like this in effect. "Without this program, that would literally go in the dumpsters," a pastor from a local church said. "It really helps us out."
In June 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture issued a memo endorsing this concept as "an innovative strategy to encourage the consumption of nutritious foods and reduce food waste."
So, instead of breaking Mom's heart when you tell her you've literally never eaten that bag of carrots she packs every day, just put it on the share table and know it's going to someone who wants it.
