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and/ or getting recycle and compost bins, or startinga share table. The SWC agreed to support HealthAcademy’s research and proposals to address studenthunger and food waste.The Health Academy conducted the researchnecessary to evaluate both options and ultimatelydecided to test a share table. Though this testwas smaller than a full pilot program, the HealthAcademy students wanted to assess the process ofimplementing a share table and informed the schooladministrators and cafeteria manager about theirintentions. With assistance from NHF’s CalFreshHealthy Living program, the Health Academyconducted a few days of testing. The studentsdetermined the share table project could be relativelyeasy to conduct, track and research, as well as be apotentially effective way to address student hunger.ST EPS FO R I M PL EM EN T I N GA S H A R E TA B L EGETTING STARTEDThe process of developing a sustainable share tableat a school site can be divided into the followingfive steps:1. Develop a share table task force2. Conduct a food waste audit and pilot theshare tables3. Create a campaign to promote the launch ofthe share tables4. E valuate the impact of the share tableswithin the school setting5. D etermine how to sustain share tables onceimplementedStep 1: Developing a Share Table Task ForceThe first step in developing a share table task force is togarner support from various stakeholders at a schoolsite. Those joining the task force will be involved in5initiating and monitoring the share table process. Thestakeholders involved in the task force can vary, butthey should have an interest in reducing food waste,improving the school environment or improving studenthealth. The following list includes potential stakeholdersat a school site and defines what their role would be inimplementing the share tables:1. Students: Student task force members can berecruited from health classes, sports teams or clubs.Students provide the best insight into where themajority of students eat, throw away their food andwhat food items typically get thrown away. They canalso share how to promote the share table to otherstudents. Students can also help to recruit otherstakeholders, such as teachers and school staff.2. Cafeteria Manager and Staff: Cafeteria staff canexplain food regulations and safe handling practices,as well as assist with maintenance, such as storingthe table over school breaks.3. School Administration & Teachers: Schooladministrators can provide legitimacy to the projectby approving the implementation of share tables andencouraging school staff and students to participate.4. Parents: Parents who already volunteer at a schoolsite can provide assistance in establishing andrunning a share table. Parents can monitor the usageof the table and clean up, when necessary.Task Force Meetings: The task force shouldmeet weekly for the first month to engage membersand ensure understanding and commitment to theprocess. The first few meetings should focus ontraining and team building and include lessons aboutshare tables and how to conduct research. Teambuilding activities, such as icebreakers or games,should be incorporated to encourage camaraderie andfoster good working relationships.

taking up too much of their time, is important. Forexample, task force members can plan agendas andprepare training materials for presentations to sharefindings and proposed solutions. Assignments can becompleted outside of the meetings, allowing membersto accomplish activities at times convenient for them.Additionally, setting meeting agendas can be aninformal, flexible process determined by the concernsand interests of the task force members.BE S T PR AC T ICE:Include team building activities,such as icebreakers or games,in the initial meetings to encouragecamaraderie and foster goodworking relationships.After the initial meetings, the following meetings shouldallow for planning, assigning roles and conductingresearch. This includes: Identifying key stakeholders and determining howthey can support the share table Researching issues related to food waste andstudent hunger Brainstorming potential opportunities and challengesfor engaging students in the share table process Creating share table presentations tailored to specificgroups (cafeteria workers, school admin) Developing a work plan to document expectedtimelines for events, how resources will be utilized,and tracking the progress of assigned tasksMeetings can be used to plan presentations to thecafeteria team and school administration. The taskforce can invite the appropriate people to the followingmeetings to present their research and ideas. Oncethe share table has launched, task force meetings mayconsist of quick updates and reporting, action planning,and deciding upon and assigning next steps.Continuously engaging task force members to maintaintheir interest in and commitment to the project, without2Utilizing the YPAR Framework: Student task forcemembers should be encouraged to do thoroughresearch on student hunger and food waste to establishunderstanding and importance of improving health andreducing waste amongst all involved. Data collectedfrom this research will be used to garner stakeholdersupport, validate the project and set up the long-termevaluation questions. The YPAR framework can beused to train students to conduct research, collectdata and put relevant information into practice. YPARconcepts of self-discovery and practicing real-life skillsguide students as they conduct the research process.Applying these concepts is significant, in light of arecent study, because expanding civic engagementfor youth through school programs is associated withbetter health status, fewer sick days at school, andbetter grades.9 Students on the task force can utilize aschool’s computer lab or library to research statisticsand other data on food waste and student hunger,with staff guidance, to find validated, evidence-baseddata. The information collected should be shared at thenext task force meeting to promote discussion aboutconducting further research on any identified trends,including topics such as school food waste, studenthunger statistics and best practices for share tables.Addressing Unexpected Problems. Despite soundplanning, problems may still arise that the task forcedid not anticipate. For example, food may be left on thetable and not picked up, or certain items may remainon the share table the next day. Teachers may borrowthe food donation baskets to use as materials in theirclassroom and forget to return them.CalFresh Healthy Living Share Table Implementation Guide6

Within a school setting, change is an ongoing factorand resources may be consistently low. In dealing withany issues that arise, it is important for the task force toaddress them right away. If the task force notices foodis left on the tables overnight, they should connect withthose monitoring and find out if assistance is needed.Understanding existing challenges allows the taskforce to provide additional assistance or training asneeded and be better prepared to respond to similarsituations in the future. While problems are inevitable,having a well-trained task force with a comprehensiveplan of action will ensure problems are addressed andresolved in a timely manner.Step 2: Conducting a Food Waste Audit andPiloting the Share TablesConducting the Food Waste Audit: Once the taskforce has been established, conducting a food wasteaudit to gather information about how much food isthrown away and where food is discarded will helpidentify locations to pilot a share table. The task forceshould follow the instructions for conducting the auditas outlined in the USDA’s Guide to Conducting StudentFood Waste and Audits.10Divide the task force members into teams of two to fourindividuals to conduct the food waste audit and havethe teams spread out across student eating areas toensure there is no overlap. The best time to conductthe audits is immediately after lunch or during otherITEMS YOU WILL NEED FOR THE AUDIT: Gloves Trash bags Long-handled trash grabber Food waste audit tally sheet Clip boards Pens and pencils7Health Academy students conducting a food waste auditmeal periods. Students conducting the audit shouldobtain permission to stay after the meal.Piloting the Share Table: Once the food audit iscomplete, the information gathered will help determinethe best locations for piloting and testing the sharetables. Select at least three locations to test and placethe share table at a different location each chosen day.The task force can plan promotional activities, suchas putting up signs explaining what a share table is,having a task force member stand next to the table,and making announcements over the school intercom.The main purpose of the pilot is to determine whichlocation garners the most attention.A few task force members should be monitoring theshare table during the pilot testing phase to keep a

students to the share table and posters can bedesigned and placed around the school to educatestudents on food waste, student hunger, healthyeating and promoting the share table.ITEMS NEEDED FOR A SHARE TABLE: A table (lunch table or folding table) Baskets or tubs to collect food items Signs indicating where food shouldbe placed A share table sign with minimaldirectionstally of those seen using the share table and documentwhether students donate or take food. They shouldobserve the foot traffic around the share table to notewhether it is busy, if it is in the way, or if it slows downlunch lines. These observations enable the task forceto determine the best location and ease for students.After the share table has been pilot tested, the taskforce will hold a meeting to discuss findings, decide ona location, and plan for the launch of the tables.Step 3: Creating a Campaign to Promote theLaunch of the Share TablesOnce a tablelocation has beenselected, thetask force shouldobtain approvalfrom the schooladministration andcafeteria workers.Ideally, the sharetable shouldbe launched on a Monday to allow the campaign tocontinue for a full week.Prior to the launch, several activities should beconducted, including decorating or painting collectionbaskets and ensuring that separate baskets are usedfor different types of food (cold foods, hot foods,fruits and vegetables, packaged items, etc.). Colorfuland concise signs should also be created to directOnce the materials are ready, task force members canplan the launch. The task force should assign membersto do the following activities: set out the baskets andput up signs before the meal period, clean off and putaway the baskets after the meal period, and ensure thatat least two task force members are available to standby the table to speak with students about the table.Designing a fun and creative campaign duringthe launch is instrumental in promoting the sharetable and securing the awareness of the studentpopulation. The campaign can involve posters aroundthe school, classroom presentations, and schoolannouncements. Social media posts and videos canbe created by the task force to highlight the benefitsof the share table. Student task force membersshould be encouraged to lead the campaign, as theyknow what will help students utilize and understandthe share table. Providing students with examples ofwhat can and cannot be donated to the share tablewill ensure appropriate donations. For example, it isUSING SOCIAL MEDIA TOPROMOTE SHARE TABLES:https://www.youtube.com/user/NHFCAimportant students understand they cannot donatefood brought from home. Additional information canbe found in the California Health and Safety Code,which specifies what items can and cannot be placedon a share table to ensure the health and safety ofthe food that is donated. This information can also belocated in the Share Tables and Food Donations inSchools guide1 under the section Appropriate FoodItems for Share Tables.CalFresh Healthy Living Share Table Implementation Guide8

Step 4: Evaluating the Impact of the Share TablesConducting an evaluation of the share table enablesthe task force to know if the share table is havingthe intended effect—reducing food waste, alleviatinghunger, and promoting health. Surveying the studentsand assessing their understanding of share tables isan integral part of the evaluation process. Additionally,obtaining feedback at different points in time allowsthe task force to determine what their next steps willbe. Brief, straightforward survey tool questions can bedeveloped for students to easily complete. This toolcan be used to evaluate the share table at least threedifferent times during the school year. The task forceSAMPLE SURVEY TOOL QUESTIONS1. Do you know what the share tableis? (Yes/No)2. Which location is best for the sharetable? (List of locations)3. How accessible is it? (Likert scalewith 1 Difficult and 5 easy)4. O n average, how many days perweek do you use the share table?(0 days, 1-2 days, 3-4 days, 5 days)5. Do you think the share table makesa difference? (Yes/No)can provide input regarding the types of questionsstudents will be most likely to respond to. The samequestions should be used in each phase of theevaluation to allow the task force to assess changes inknowledge and understanding, but also gives studentsthe opportunity to provide open-ended feedback.Based off this feedback, the task force can adjusttheir promotional and educational efforts as needed.A random sample of students should be surveyedduring each evaluation phase. Lastly, the task forceshould identify several different areas where they plan9to administer the survey to ensure they capture a broadcross section of the student population.Formative or Process Evaluation. Formativeevaluation is research conducted during thedevelopment and implementation of a project.A formative evaluation will aid the task force indetermining whether early improvements need to bemade to the share table. Formative evaluation can beconducted within a week or two of the share tablelaunch. Another food waste audit can be conductedduring this time to determine if the share table hasmade an impact on the amount of edible food beingdiscarded. In addition, surveying students will helpassess whether they understand, use, or have seenthe share table. If the students surveyed are unclear onthe share table concept, do not use it, or food wastehas not decreased, the task force should reconveneand decide how to improve their promotional andeducational efforts.Summative Evaluation. Summative evaluation isresearch to assess whether the project met its desiredgoal. A summative evaluation should be conducteda few weeks to a few months after the launch of theshare table, with a focus on surveying students on theirunderstanding and use of the share table. The resultsof this evaluation will indicate if the share table programis feasible for the future, if the program should beexpanded to two tables, or to provide suggestions forimprovement.Impact Evaluation. Impact evaluation assesses theproject’s long-term effect on people by measuringawareness, knowledge, attitude, and behavior change.The purpose of conducting an impact evaluation isto gauge the long-term impact of share tables on theschool. It can occur several months to a year after theinitial launch and can be conducted annually after thatto assess whether the share table has consistentlyreduced food waste. The task force can pursue otheroptions to determine the impact of the share table,such as interviewing the cafeteria team to find out

if they reduced the amount of food purchased. Aswith the previous stages of the evaluation process,the students can be surveyed to determine if theirunderstanding of the importance of reducing studenthunger and food waste has changed since theimplementation of the share table(s). In addition, sharetable use can be evaluated as well to determine ifthe table location needs to be changed or if anothercampaign should take place to educate new studentsand improve the functionality of the table.Surveying the Students. NHF’s CalFresh HealthyLiving staff assisted Health Academy students withevaluating the knowledge, attitudes and perceptionsof the student body in relation to the share tableprograms at their high schools. In earlier stages ofthe evaluation process, Health Academy studentsdeveloped and distributed surveys to students whopassed by the share table. Eventually, they decidedto create confidential surveys which they distributedin a few of their classrooms. They felt this would elicitmore responses than having students stand by tablesand fill out a survey. The survey questions resembledquestions from earlier stages of the evaluation process,but also provided students with the opportunity toinclude comments, questions or suggestions aboutthe share table. Obtaining more extensive input fromthe students allowed the Health Academy to accuratelyassess the impact of the share table.The results of the confidential surveys were analyzed byNHF and the Health Academy. Initial findings showedthat 35.9% reported they used the table anywhere fromone to five days per week and 55% reported they feltthe share table makes a difference. Other responsesprovided indicated students still throw food away,are unaware of the share table, or feel that it needsto be promoted more. The feedback provided by thestudents helped the Health Academy determine howto improve the tables and whether another week ofmarketing/promotion was needed.Step 5: Determining how to sustain theuse of the share tables once they havebeen implementedShare Table Guidelines developed by the Health Academyand NHFThe ongoing operation and maintenance of sharetables is a key component to the success of reducingstudent hunger and food waste. Having a sustainabilityplan for the share table is necessary to ensure itcontinues to have the intended impact. Part of the planshould include selecting a diverse group of members,such as teachers, parents, cafeteria staff and studentsas outlined in Step 1: Developing a share table taskforce. Recruit parent volunteers from the parent centerif possible; parents can take responsibility for checkingthe share table and reporting if there is damage or anCalFresh Healthy Living Share Table Implementation Guide10

Share table at an LESD elementary schoolunusual amount

CalFresh Healthy Living Share Table Implementation Guide4 Living Program funding. NHF convened a student task force consisting of 12 students at each high school. The students in the task force played a critical role in ensuring the share tables were developed, promoted, implemented and m