Princeton, NJ — Thursday, October 7, 2021 — The Princeton-based non-profit Share My Meals Inc. is announcing a $175,000 grant from the Sustain and Serve NJ Program. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) allocated Phase 2 funds to successful qualifying organizations like Share My Meals which is the only organization in the area offering a scalable solution to food insecurity and food waste by building partnerships with food service providers and distributing their surplus meals to the local food-insecure population regardless of race, ethnicity, background, faith, sexual orientation or circumstance.
“We are grateful for the additional funding that will allow us to continue to run our Covid-19 Program until we will be able to reach the full potential of our Waste Watcher Program,” said Share My Meals President Isabelle Lambotte.
As we transition back to our initial mission of recovering healthy meals from cafeterias of corporations, schools, and universities, the Sustain and Serve NJ grant is a Win-Win initiative allowing us to support a growing number of food-insecure people while helping local restaurants which are still recovering from the Covid impacts.
Since its inception in January 2020, Share My Meals and its team of 40 volunteers has delivered over 93,000 meals in Princeton, Montgomery, Lawrenceville, and Trenton.. Through our newly launched Inclusion Program, we are now hiring members of the community we serve. Our first employee as part of this program is our Logistics Assistant and is working with meal providers, reinforcing our meals delivery team.
Once resumed, the Waste Watcher Program, which is a sustainable and environmentally friendly meals recovery program approved by the local health departments, will bridge the gap between individuals and families in need of food and foodservice providers with surplus meals to share.
The mission of Share My Meals is two-fold:
- Fight food insecurity by rebalancing the food equation between those who have and those who don’t!
- Reduce food waste and its impact on the environment.
In the U.S. 40% of the food is wasted. Most of it ends up in landfills where it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas while only 10 % of the food is currently recovered.
People interested in making a difference and being part of the Share My Meals movement can join our dynamic and highly motivated volunteers team by filling the ”Get Involved” form at http://sharemymeals.org/volunteering-with-us/ and/or can make a tax-deductible donation online or by mail to Share My Meals Inc, 252 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
About Share My Meals
Share My Meals is a 501(C)3 organization incorporated in NJ, serving the food insecure people of the Princeton Community Area regardless of their ethnicity, gender, gender’s identity, age, or faith.
The organization is working to alleviate hunger and food waste by distributing saved meals from corporate cafeterias, schools, universities, and restaurants to the local food-insecure populations.
Founded in 2020, Share My Meals is run by volunteers committed to rebalancing the food equation: Less Food Waste = Less Hunger.
For more information visit: www.sharemymeals.org.
Press Contact:
[email protected] or 609 933 4363
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharemymeals
