At Olive Chapel Elementary in Apex, students are learning that what they leave on their lunch trays can help feed someone else. Since joining SHARE — Stop Hunger and Restore Earth — in 2025, the Wake County public school has turned food waste into a hands-on lesson in fighting hunger and protecting the environment.
The SHARE program “ensures that all kids are fed,” said Ashley Charles, one of the school’s assistant principals. “For kids who maybe don’t have snacks or [who] need extra food, it’s a way that we can save food and make sure they’re getting what they need.”
That need became clear in the cafeteria, where staff saw how much unopened and unpeeled food was being tossed each day. Teacher assistants assigned to lunch duty had voiced concerns for years about the volume of uneaten food waste ending up in the trash. “When we found out that this program existed, we were like, ‘Okay, it’s time. We’re going to give this a try,’” she said. SHARE is a food recovery program created by Toward Zero Waste, a North Carolina-based nonprofit, alongside Wake County Public School System.