A local nonprofit company partnered itself with an Indiana school district to make sure kids have enough to eat. Elkhart Community Schools, in the northern part of Indiana, saw how much food they had left over each week and they knew that it could no longer go to waste.
The school faculty was aware that there are children that leave school and go to a home that has very little food. Instead of just throwing away the school cafeteria’s leftovers at the end of the week, they decided to formulate a plan to send it home with the children that are in need.
The school makes breakfasts and lunches daily, so there was quite a bit of leftovers. That’s where Cultivate Culinary, a South Bend-based nonprofit stepped in.
Jim Conklin an employee of Cultivate Culinary spoke with the local news:
Mostly, we rescue food that’s been made but never served by catering companies, large food service businesses, like the school system,” adding, “You don’t always think of a school.
“Over-preparing is just part of what happens,” Conklin continued. Cultivate has made a special way to direct good food to people who need it most instead of wasting it.
When they rescue the food, Cultivate repackages it and creates frozen meals and redistributes those meals to those who need it.”We take well-prepared food, combine it with other food and make individual frozen meals out if it,” Conklin said.
Cultivate’s website states that 100,000 people don’t know where their next meal is coming from including 1 out of every 5 children. The main goal of Cultivate is to fight hunger in the community.
Their partnership, alongside Elkhart Community Schools, is a big step to achieve that. About 64 percent of children in the school district qualifies for reduced or free lunches according to Inside Edition.
Cultivate comes to save food from Woodland Elementary about three times a week and they want to get the program into the other schools soon as well. Currently, selected students take eight frozen meals home on Fridays.
