September Food Relief and Food Rescue

September means back to school! In addition to food rescue, The Food Drive provides a weekly volunteer opportunity for students ages 18 – 22 in the Post Graduate program at the Melrose High School Special Education Department. Job coaches focus on building vocational and employment skills with the students from volunteering and work site opportunities, and building community and independent living skills related to navigating the world as individuals transition to adulthood. The Post Grads and their coaches actively participate in many aspects of The Food Drive’s hunger relief and food waste prevention activities. The students rescue and distribute food from grocery stores, collect and deliver items from The Food Drive’s eight local food donation bins, and use donated gift cards to shop for the items that are most needed by our Melrose pantries, filling significant gaps on their shelves. In addition to strengthening their skills and learning about the challenges of hunger and food waste, the students provide a meaningful service in their own community. The Food Drive is thrilled to collaborate with them for this school year! Thanks to the Post Grads and over 150 volunteers, The Food Drive passed the milestones of 400,000 pounds rescued and 1 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions prevented in under two years.