Why have this program?

• To REDUCE the amount of prepackaged unopened food thrown out as waste at schools.
• To ESTABLISH a food recovery program to distribute the food items to any students in the school, thereby eliminating stigma.
• To INCREASE student engagement by increasing both awareness of hunger and respect for their environment.
• To RESPECT resources and guidelines from WCPSS Child Nutrition Services by feeding people, instead of landfills.

Want to learn more?

Watch the video below to learn from students, faculty, and TZW members contributing to SHARE’s success

Dear Toward Zero Waste Friends and Food Security Partners,

Every day in North Carolina schools, hundreds of thousands of unopened, uneaten food items are thrown away, while 1 in 5 children in our state face food insecurity. This waste is heartbreaking and unnecessary.

You can help change this.

We’re asking the NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) to update their guidelines to support schools with guidance to safely collect unopened dairy items, such as milk and yogurt, on sharing tables. Other states, like South Carolina and Virginia, have already done this successfully.

This is where you come in.

Our goal is to reach 1,500 signatures and we need your help! To learn more and sign the petition, click here.

Please forward this email, write your own, or share our Facebook Post with your professional and/or personal networks all across the state. Don’t forget to include any students you know! Everyone’s voice matters, and perhaps students’ the most!

Let’s make a push for North Carolina to have more sustainable, hunger-free schools. Thank you for your time and commitment to reducing child hunger and food waste in North Carolina.

With gratitude,
Toward Zero Waste

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