The old fashioned phrase “sharing is caring” holds true in the BHSS cafeteria as new “Share Baskets” are entering in full force.
These baskets, located by registers in all food lines, are where food and drink items that are sealed or have a skin, such as apples and oranges, can be placed when a student does not want it.
Oftentimes, students buy fruits, vegetables or drinks to meet the standards of a “meal” and get the discounted price. These food items are typically thrown away, but they no longer have to be.
Now, any student or staff member can take food out of the basket for free if they want something extra, and whatever is leftover will be donated to various locations including Wheeler Mission.
The share basket idea was suggested by MCCSC Food Service Supervisor Lori Miller.
“The baskets are beneficial for the school because [they] would allow any student that may want a little more for lunch take from this basket free of charge to help fulfill their appetite,” Miller said.
It’s good for “people who can’t afford lunch or don’t have money to get extras and are hungry. It’s better to give it to them rather than throw it away,” junior Aubrey Williams said.
Although this system has many positive aspects to it, students still have their concerns.
“People who can afford [the food items] can easily take them out of the share basket,” sophomore Michael Kentish said.
The share baskets are open to anyone who would like to take from them, but that could cause students who don’t have money for lunch to ultimately suffer if everything has already been taken by those who don’t need this resource as much.
To possibly solve this issue, “I think they could maybe make the share baskets bigger,” Kentish said.
Some students have been hesitant to use them because they aren’t sure what they are allowed to put in them.
“The types of items that can be put into these baskets are things that are sealed or that could be washed again. The following items are samples of what we could take: any milk, juice, juicy juice, fresh fruits or sealed fruits,” Miller said.
