Helping the Needy,

While Saving the Planet,

One Box at a Time.

Volunteer Hours

Boxes Recycled

Pounds of Goods Donated

What Do We Do?

Seeing food wastage in my school’s cafeteria became a catalyst for change in my life. I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the sheer amount of food being thrown out while our community was grappling with hunger. Two pressing issues emerged in my mind. The first issue was the dire lack of resources available to those in need, particularly exacerbated by the pandemic. Starvation in the Omaha area had reached an all-time high, with a staggering 225,580 people in Nebraska struggling with hunger, including 71,560 innocent children.

The second issue was equally concerning: the casual disposal of cardboard boxes that could have been recycled. A shocking 13.6 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are discarded annually, equivalent to roughly 16 million trees, an alarmingly high number. As I observed our school’s cafeteria staff casually throwing numerous cardboard boxes into the trash, I realized we were inadvertently contributing to this problem

Driven by a sense of responsibility, I decided to take matters into my own hands. With our principal’s permission, I initiated a conversation with the cafeteria staff and together, we organized almost bi-weekly trips to the Open Door Mission, a local food bank. On these trips, we donated the surplus food that would have otherwise gone to waste, making a meaningful contribution to combating hunger in our community. Simultaneously, I took it upon myself to address the issue of cardboard wastage. While delivering food to the Open Door Mission, I began personally collecting and recycling the cardboard boxes. It was a small gesture, but it felt like the right step towards preserving our environment. In doing so, we hoped to alleviate the burden of hunger and reduce our ecological footprint, addressing two pressing issues that were negatively impacting our community.