Wake County food-recovery nonprofit asks school board to extend MOA as program moves to 37 schools

A volunteer-run food-recovery program that collects unopened, approved student-donated items told the Wake County Schools Facilities Committee it has grown from an eight-school pilot to a program the presenters expect to have 37 active "share" schools by the end of the school year and about 45 schools on an interested list. Kathleen Liebowitz, executive director of Towards 0 Waste, said the group recovered an average of about 41 items per school per day during its pilot and used those items for redistribution to students who need snacks or extra meals.

Liebowitz said the program expanded through additional phases and new partnerships. "We came to the facilities meeting in June and reviewed early findings," she told the committee, adding the group launched 10 additional schools in phase 2 and nine more in phase 3. She credited a partnership with Wake County Community Services/Solid Waste and said Wake County, Cary and Raleigh contributions helped the expansion.

The presenters asked the school board to approve a two-year amendment to the program’s memorandum of agreement so the nonprofit can continue scaling and maintain staff capacity. "With your approval on everyone's signatures we're hoping to move forward in March and April with these 10 [Phase 4]" Liebowitz said; she added the group was finalizing a $10,000 Wake County waste-prevention grant that would fully fund eight of the ten Phase 4 schools and that community donations would cover the other two.

Committee members asked how the program would scale and whether volunteer capacity could meet growing demand. Liebowitz said the effort is volunteer-driven and the group plans to roll out schools in batches of 10, prioritizing CEP (Community Eligibility Provision) and Title I schools where donation volumes are higher. She also said Wake County Solid Waste staff would provide ongoing program support and that the group is exploring additional partnerships to sustain operations.

Board members raised equity and stigma questions and asked how students are identified or signaled to receive recovered food. Liebowitz said the program aims to reduce stigma by making food available to any student and by connecting schools to outside food pantries for occasional surplus. "From what we have heard anecdotally ... the bulk majority of these foods are going back out to our students," she said.

The presenter also said the group had produced an informational video with Wake County (filmed at Millbrook Elementary) and planned both a public-facing version and a school-based version for distribution through communications channels.

Next steps: staff confirmed the two-year MOA amendment is on the consent agenda for the full board meeting next week for formal approval. The Facilities Committee did not take a vote on the MOA at this meeting; it recommended the item remain on the consent agenda for board action.