Food Rescue Underway at Seton Hall: Students Give Back to the Community

Every other Friday, a car pulls up behind Seton Hall’s cafeteria at the University Center, its trunk ready to be filled with food donations from Gourmet Dining Services. These are no ordinary donations. They are trays of delicious, prepared meals—baked chicken, meatballs with gravy, Salisbury steak—leftovers lovingly made by Gourmet Dining Services chefs, explains Marc Gordon, director of operations for Gourmet Dining Services. Thanks to their efforts and the good work of some Seton Hall students and employees, these leftovers are making their way to those in need.

Starting last fall, Seton Hall partnered with Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and most extensive food rescue organization. The group works to feed hungry neighbors in northern New Jersey by rescuing and delivering healthy, fresh and perishable food from grocery stores, distributors, schools and restaurants.

Shayne Simmons, a master’s student in the public administration program, has driven the collaboration between Seton Hall and Table to Table. An outgrowth of Simmons’ involvement with the Food Recovery Network Club as an undergraduate, the initiative is also supported by the university’s Environmental Sustainability Committee and continues to impact the local community.

While an undergraduate and Division I swimmer, Simmons found time to work with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Living in Newark, Simmons says he noticed that many of his neighbors relied on services provided by the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and local food pantries. He also realized that there was extra food prepared in the cafeteria that was being thrown away.

“As a Catholic university,” Simmons said, “I believe all operations of Seton Hall should embody the mission of servant leadership. With initiatives like Table to Table, I can join my passions for environmental sustainability and service to the greater community.”

Simmons’ work will be recognized next month when he receives the DOVE Servant Leadership Award. “I hope to continue serving others as best I can,” he said. One thing is certain: Simmons’ vision has taken root at Seton Hall.

On a recent Friday afternoon, sophomores Reece Hartman and Lauren Udell, both Alpha Gamma Delta sorority members, were ready to load donated food into the back of an SUV. As part of the sorority’s philanthropy project, they volunteer for biweekly pickups of the food donations as part of the partnership with Table to Table. Their mission: Deliver the food trays to the Jesus Saves boarding house in nearby Newark. “We volunteered a few weeks ago, and it was really enjoyable, so we decided to do it again,” said Reece Hartman, a marketing major at the Stillman School of Business.

Lauren Udell, a homeland security major at the School of Diplomacy, found the experience “really rewarding.” She expressed how fulfilling it was to know her efforts were directly helping people who might otherwise lack access to fresh, prepared meals.

Hartman and Udell not only delivered the trays of prepared food, but also had the opportunity to meet some of the people who run the program distributing the hot meals. “When we dropped off the food a few weeks ago, we got to meet the people who run the program that gives out the food,” Hartman said. “It was really nice to meet and talk to them a little bit.”

The biweekly food donations made by Gourmet Dining Services and Seton Hall students are part of the university’s ongoing commitment to community service and environmental sustainability. Through partnerships like this, Seton Hall is helping to reduce food waste while providing fresh meals to those in need in the surrounding area. The efforts of student volunteers show how small acts of kindness can create meaningful change, making a lasting impact on both the environment and the local community.

To get involved in food recovery or other environmental sustainability efforts happening on campus, please reach out to our student club via email.

Seton Hall students who are in need of immediate emergency aid, please contact DOVE or (973) 761-9702.

Categories: Faith and Service