In the United States roughly 330 million pounds of food is wasted and thrown into landfills each day. Yet many families face food insecurity. In 1999 Table to Table was started to combat this problem. Claire Insalata Poulos was guided by Harvest NYC and a small group of volunteers. In just a few months they delivered over 5,000 meals to families in need. They grew fast and were labeled as NJ’s first and only food rescue program.
So what do they do?
Table to Table is a food rescue program that keeps food out of landfills and gives it to people in need. Table to Table works with 373 food donors who consist of supermarkets, restaurants, meal kit companies, school cafeterias and more. They then pick up any extra from these donors in 6 refrigerated trucks distributing it to 303 different community partners. These distributors consist of food pantries, schools, shelters veteran programs and group homes.
What does it cost?
98 cents on the dollar goes to the operation directly. This includes trucks and the delivery of the food. Internal costs for Table to Table are maintained to 10 cents per meal. This is because unlike others they do not charge a fee to agencies receiving their recipients or the donors themselves.
Their Staff
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Heather Thompson – Executive Director
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Julie Kinner – Vice President, Operations
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Robert Martin – Senior Director of Development
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Maria Sinopoli – Director of Marketing Communications
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David Porra – Logistics Director
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Joey Mazza – Director, Special Events and Restaurant Partnerships
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Daniel Hubbard – Content Specialist
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Steve Brown – Office Manager
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Stephanie L. Conley-Webb – Volunteer Manager
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Nicole Berezny – Coordinator, Essex & Hudson Counties
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Christine Zeni – Network Director
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Valerie Jacklin – Grants & Analytics
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Gabriella Raia – Food Recovery App & Dispatch Coordinator
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Christine Perez O’Mara – Coordinator, Essex & Hudson Counties
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Kharin Porra – Weekend Dispatcher
Logistics
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Carlos Alvarez – Driver
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Edgar Brieva – Driver
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Jonathan Chacon – Driver
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Jose Javier Abreu – Driver
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Guillermo Alexis Aponte – Driver
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Luis Tupete – Driver
How can you help?
While Table to Table is not fully supported by just donations it greatly helps their cause. If you would like to donate visit Table to Table Donation. If you like their cause and would like to volunteer your time visit Table to Table Volunteer. Finally if you would just like to learn more about Table to Table visit https://tabletotable.org