Start a School chapter

We would love to support you in bringing the work of Rise N Shine foundation  to your school or organization. Please fill out the interest form below and we'll be in touch shortly! We encourage any motivated students looking for valuable real-world leadership and service experience to apply to start a chapter. The opportunity not only looks great on resumes, but also builds important, valuable skills that will stay with you for a lifetime.

While every chapter works differently depending on the school or organizations needs, starting a chapter typically entails the following:

1. Starting a School Club

We ask chapter leaders to establish a club at their school to help spread the word about Rise N Shine and help peers and other interested students get involved!

2. Hold Monthly Chapter Meetings

We'll help you plan monthly meetings to help build an Rise N Shine community at your school and begin working to combat food insecurity and climate change. These meetings will range from your initial interest meeting, to arts and crafts, to how to propose the club idea to school administrators, to planning a canned food drive, to hosting a Meal packing event.

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3. Fundraise in Your Community

We'll help you plan and execute local fundraising events to fund composting programs or Meal packing event. These typically include bake sales, fundraisers.

4. Host a Meal Packing Event

Your chapter will work up to hosting a school-wide meal packing event where your student body packs 5,000-10,000 meals. We know this can seem overwhelming, but we'll be supporting you throughout the entire process. You'll have a designated mentor guiding you through everything and meeting with you monthly to ensure you stay on track!

4. Make a plan & develop a calendar to reach plan goals for composting and food recovery

•  Start with a waste sort to assess school lunch waste.  Record findings.

•  Include a science-class  or assembly to teach all students about the importance of composting.

•  Recruit parent volunteers or student leaders to help coach students with waste sorting at lunch to minimize contamination.

• Track the lbs. Of waste sorted and diverted regularly (for incinerator waste, recyclables, liquids and compostables)

•  Include a Share Table and refrigerator.

To make the school chapter successful each chapter leader needs to take below steps:

• Identify Internal Champion(s): At least one school leader is key to lead this initiative. This champion, ideally the Lead Green Team teacher, will take the steps needed with all members of the school team to gain support and educate the school community about the importance and ease of composting and food recovery.

• Involve students - Tell your Green Team about these efforts and learn how they can help. The student Green Team, with the internal champion, can: inform the school community about composting, make posters, conduct waste sorts, help coach other students at lunch, and boast about success.

• Coordinate with the Rise N Shine Food recovery team  to share unwanted packaged and unpeeled food from school with local families or food banks.

• Internal champion and Chapter leader will meet with Building Services and Cafeteria Staff. Together, discuss the opportunity to compost, identify concerns and problem solve. Building services team members will be expected to:

  1.  Put compost bins and compostable bags in the cafeteria for lunch - place compost in larger, outdoor compost bins daily.

  2.  Drain liquids down a protected drain.

  3.  Bring larger compost bins to the loading dock for weekly pickup.

  4. Clean bins, as they clean other trash and recycle bins.

Note: benefits to building services staff include: reduced and lighter trash bags, reduced risk for rodents, pride in helping protect the environment.