Name: Lucette Reynosa

Social Justice Group: Food insecurity in NYC (C)

Date of Fieldwork: January 14, 2025

Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Chef Eric

What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork:

On January 14th, we sat down with Chef Eric, the head chef at LREI, to discuss our lunch system. Every day, the amazing chefs in the cafeteria prepare lunch for us, and we were curious about what happens to any leftover food. Eric explained that most of the food is either reused in dishes for other days or given to the after-school kids. He also shared that food is only thrown away if it’s either leftover and not finished by students or if it becomes contaminated. We also asked about the possibility of donating some of the leftover food to a community fridge or organization. Eric mentioned that while attempts have been made in the past, they weren’t successful because food-help organizations typically require specific amounts and types of food.
From this interview, we learned a lot about how the kitchen at LREI operates. One thing that stood out to me was how small the school is—I had expected there to be more food waste, but it turns out the kitchen team does an excellent job of preparing just the right amount of food for everyone. Although I’m not quite ready to donate food to an organization just yet, I believe it should definitely be a long-term goal for the school. With careful planning and more partnerships with local food banks or community fridges, there’s potential to make an even greater impact in the future.