Nonprofit pitches food‑recovery partnership to Green Bay schools

Selena Darrow, founder and CEO of Rooted In Inc., asked the Green Bay Area Public School District board on May 18 to explore a formal partnership to recover surplus school meals and redistribute them to families in need. Darrow described Rooted In’s model—rescuing high‑quality surplus food, transforming it into prepared meals and redistributing it through trusted community partners—and said schools can play a leadership role in both waste reduction and food access.

"Rooted In believes there is an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between schools and community organizations to help redirect more of that food to families who need it while also supporting the district's waste reduction goals," Darrow said. She noted that the U.S. has set a national goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030 and identified the EPA food‑recovery hierarchy as prioritizing source reduction and redirecting surplus food to feed people.

Darrow cited local and state indicators she said underline the need: local food pantries have reported an approximate 30% increase in demand over the past year and an additional 10% increase already in 2026, she said; she also said Wisconsin has experienced a 6% decline in SNAP and FoodShare participation locally, affecting approximately 1,485 individuals, and that pending eligibility changes could affect more than 27,000 Brown County residents enrolled in SNAP. Darrow framed the proposal as requiring district operational review and board approval before any formal partnership could proceed.

The board did not engage with Darrow during the public‑comment period; she closed by asking that the evening’s discussion serve as a starting point for coordination between district leaders, the Waste Reduction Subcommittee and community partners. No operational agreement or timeline was proposed at the May 18 meeting.