Long Branch Elementary School Receives $25,000 Food Waste Grant

LONG BRANCH, NJ – George L. Catrambone Elementary School in Long Branch was one of three schools from around the state recently selected to receive a $25,000 grant and technical assistance as part of the Sustainable Jersey School Food Waste Pilot Program, which support schools in implementing best practices for reducing food waste and develop a model to be shared with other New Jersey schools.

The grants will cover the purchase of on-site composting equipment and the implementation of other food waste reduction strategies such as share tables and donation of unwanted food. The technical assistance will include on-site training, student learning materials, and implementation support through the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Food Waste Team.

The schools that were selected will also serve as case studies for inclusion in an updated School Food Waste Toolkit produced by Sustainable Jersey and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Food Waste Team.

“Congratulations to the three schools selected for the program. Now more than ever, we need our school leaders to emphasize and more importantly to showcase best practices for food waste reduction in New Jersey schools,” Randall Solomon, Executive Director of Sustainable Jersey said in a statement.

“This grant and the technical assistance provide each school the opportunity to serve as a research partner and case study for other schools as we work to develop a healthier and more sustainable New Jersey.”

According to the staff at Geroge L Catrambone, the grant will help the school continue its work on teaching students about sustainability.

In past years, students at Geroge L Catrambone have created a butterfly garden and also grew vegetables, which then they donated locally.

“It’s truly an honor for our school,” Kelly Stone a STEM teacher and leader of the Green Team at the school, said to Patch.

“We have active students and staff that try to get our school to be more sustainable. We have spoken to the Mayor about a plastic bag ban in the city, we eliminated straws from the school and the next step is to eliminate the food waste in the cafeteria.”