Stanford Project on Hunger (SPOON) was created in 1987 to collect and save unused, leftover food on campus for distribution to the hungry and homeless community of Palo Alto. SPOON student volunteers collect food that would otherwise be wasted from campus dining halls, row houses, eating clubs, and special events; the food is then reheated and turned into meals by the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto, which uses food from Stanford to help create and serve meals throughout the week.
As the single largest food consumer on the peninsula, Stanford food services feed thousands of people each day. Food service employees work hard to reduce the amount of food wasted, but prior to SPOON's existence, most leftover food was thrown away. Recognizing this waste and the need for food among the homeless in the Palo Alto area, a dedicated group of Stanford students founded SPOON in 1987. Since then, enthusiasm for SPOON among campus cooks and food service managers has grown tremendously. Through the combined efforts of student volunteers, cooks, and kitchen managers, SPOON’s donations continue to increase. During Winter 2004, SPOON’s efforts resulted in 2000 pounds of salvaged food. This food is donated to one of the main shelters in Palo Alto: Urban Ministry.
Every day, unused food (food that hasn’t been placed on a plate) is carefully packaged into aluminum tray and ready for transport to the Haas Center freezers. Student volunteers collect the food to a central freezer on campus (located in the Haas Center shed behind the Haas Center), where the trays are weighed, labeled, and recorded into log books. Later in the week, the food is picked up by the Palo Alto Opportunity Center to be served to the hungry. The Opportunity Center works with SPOON to help channel unused food to those who need it in our local area. Over fifty SPOON volunteers, donating 30 minutes to an hour of their time each week, provide thousands of meals for hungry and homeless people each year.
