LCPS Approves 2014 Food Recovery Program

Provided:

At the County’s 2nd annual Hunger Summit hosted by Chairman Scott York, the Chamber and the Faith community; identifying resources to curtail hunger, particularly untapped resources, have been a priority. One particular untapped resource identified last year, was the amount of food thrown away in our Loudoun County Schools.

LCPS School Board Chair, Eric Hornberger and Vice-Chair, Jill Turgeon were in attendance at this Summit. Following this event, members of the Loudoun Hunger Committee contacted Chairman Hornberger on how to best present a proposed food recovery program for LCPS.

In the spirit of the “School Food Recovery Act” championed by Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf, a Food Recovery Program represents a system to recover, store and make available excess food to local food pantries from our school cafeterias in an effort to reduce waste and aid the hungry.

On Tuesday, April 28, 2014, Chairman Eric Hornberger and the Loudoun County School Board granted LCPS Support Services permission to institute a Food Recovery Program in 6 select LCPS schools for the 2014-15 School year.

Participating schools will collect unopened, individually-wrapped, non-perishable and perishable items that may otherwise be discarded by students and donate these items to local food pantries.

Representatives from LCPS and the Loudoun County Health Department met in January 2014 with representatives from the Loudoun Hunger Committee to discuss the implementation of a Food Recovery Program within Loudoun County Public Schools.

In March 2014, the LCPS and Loudoun Hunger Committee representatives visited Dranesville Elementary School in Fairfax County, where the program has been successful. An implementation plan for LCPS was presented to the LCPS / Health, Safety, Wellness and Transportation Committee in April 2014. The plan includes no cost to LCPS as a volunteer base will be utilized for organization, food handling, record keeping and delivery logistics following guidelines administered by LCPS.

To launch the program within LCPS, with the support from staff and parents at each school, the pilot schools were selected based upon their proximity to a food pantry, volunteer base and hunger programs already implemented in their schools.

These schools and volunteers will make food available to local pantries beginning fall of 2014. Lowes Island Elementary School and Newton-Lee Elementary School will deliver their recovered food to LINK pantry located in Sterling. John W. Tolbert Elementary and Francis Hazel Reid Elementary School will deliver their recovered food to Loudoun Interfaith Relief in Leesburg. Lastly, Mountain View Elementary and Emerick Elementary School will make their food available to Tree of Life pantry in Purcellville.

Once deemed successful, it is anticipated additional schools will adopt the program.

Photo by Rona Scott