Food waste is a huge global issue that affects 821 million people and is estimated to affect 670 million people in 2030. About 9 million people die from hunger yearly and 3 million are children. When researching food waste and finding out these statistics, I wanted to make a solution locally.
What is the Purpose of the Donation Station?
The Donation Station is made so that children at school have enough food to eat. When students want to throw away pre-packaged food items, they can recycle them into the bins. Items acceptable include pre-packaged items such as graham crackers, cheese sticks, applesauce, and fruits with a peel. Unacceptable items include homemade items or items with lots of nut products. The refrigerated food will be put into the school fridge and the non-refrigerated food will be in a specific area dedicated to food. Students and staff members are open to taking as much food as they need throughout the day and after school hours. The next morning, the items will be checked to ensure they are safe to eat. If not, the food will be discarded.
The Process of Creating the Donation Station
I created a system at my school called the Donation Station. I found a used metal cart lying around and decided to use that as a resource instead of purchasing a new one. Since the cart was used, I decided to clean and scrub the cart and then spray-paint it black. I purchased four bins; two for non-refrigerated food and two for refrigerated food. I made a sign and taped it on the cart. When lunch starts, I put two ice packs on the bottom of the refrigerated bins and then roll the cart over by the lunch area and run the Donation Station until lunch ends. Then, I count the food items and insert them into a Google Sheets to keep track of the progress.
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