Afarin Homer, a mother and a frequent volunteer at Gaithersburg Middle School, couldn’t believe her eyes last March when she noticed how much food was being wasted from an after-school snack program. Thanks to food services regulations, much of the food was being thrown in the garbage, untouched.
Homer used her good reputation with the school to convince authorities that something better could be done with that food, and since then her program Food Recovery for the Hungry has redirected over 1,495 pounds of food to a community soup kitchen.
Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz presented an award for contributions to educational excellence Monday to the middle school and its five student ambassadors who have helped Homer implement the program.
Gaithersburg Middle School, which has a high concentration of students in poverty, supplies after-school snacks to its students, many of whom won’t be served dinner at home. Federal regulations prevent children from refusing or giving back items they don’t want (they would then be receiving less than a full legal "snack") and so a huge amount of food simply ends up in the trash.
“Nine times out of 10, I would see the kids eat the pizza and throw everything else in the trashcan,” Homer told the Examiner. “I was shocked. The hunger issue is increasing, so why isn’t the problem being addressed in schools?”
Read more at the Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/parent-led-program-combats-governments-waste-food#ixzz1HX01x0Oa
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