Hardin County Schools donate unused cafeteria food to homeless, domestic violence shelters

HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. (WDRB) — The snow has led to school closures all week around Kentuckiana, which raises the question, what do school districts do with the cafeteria food during an unexpected break?

Hardin County Schools leaders found an answer. Their cafeteria food was sitting inside the schools, and the district's superintendent, Terrie Morgan, got an email from a cafeteria manager who said she has a lot of leftover apples and don't know what to do with them.

That's when Morgan told other cafeteria managers in the district to see what food they have that will expire. With the help of the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, they donated the perishable food to the homeless shelter, Room in the Inn Hardin County and the Springhaven Domestic Violence Center.

"We wanted to make sure they did not go to waste, especially at a time when so many people are in need," Morgan said. "It was just an opportunity for us to pay it forward and to give back to the community."

Staff members also put together around 50 boxes of food and delivered them to families in the school district who are stuck in the snow.

Leaders at other districts like Jefferson County Public Schools and Bullitt County Public Schools said ahead of the storm, they cancelled any food order that would expire before students were back in class. In Hardin County, they order too far in advance to cancel. Now, shelters are benefiting from that.

"For that food to sit there and just go to waste, it's great that it can be put to use and not just be thrown in a dumpster," Room in the Inn president, Elaine Geer, said.

Hardin County Schools will be out Friday, Jan. 30. Morgan tells me they'll be watching the roads this weekend to see if they'll be open Monday.

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