Food truck puts corporate leftovers to community good
Summer can feel like a lean time for families who use school meals to fend off food insecurity, and local organizations that fight hunger try to step up summer offerings in response.
One new resource fights a dual battle against food waste and food insecurity. The A La Carte food truck launched by Silicon Valley Food Rescue started parking in front of local schools earlier this year, distributing pre-packaged leftovers as take-home meal offerings for anyone in the community who could use an assist.
The program is continuing into the summer, most locally at its spot on Bryant Street outside the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District Office. Anyone in need of food can seek it out 2:30-3:45 p.m. Thursdays.
The idea of a “food rescue system” in Silicon Valley connects surplus food to the hungry. Stanford University was an early participant in packing up leftover prepared food and distributing it to food-safety-trained drivers, who move a refrigerated truck to different neighborhoods experiencing need. The family-sized catering trays represent the same food being served up at conferences and corporate lunchrooms, redirected when abundance might lead to waste.