Here’s how Ross Schools is using restaurant food scraps to fight hunger

JEE Foods, a student-run nonprofit developed in the Butler Tech Information Technology program at Ross High School, has earned international honors for its work to fight hunger and poverty.

Four of its student business leaders recently traveled to South Africa, where they won the 2018 SAGE World Cup for social enterprise business and $2,000 in prize money.

SAGE, Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, is a nonprofit operating in 22 countries that gives students a voice in addressing global challenges and raising standards of living.

The student leaders of JEE Foods have partnered with local restaurants and companies to collect food that is nearing its expiration date and preserve it using dehydration and flash-freezing techniques. Working out of a kitchen in the Ross Local Schools’ administration building, student volunteers redistribute the food in several forms, including meals ready-to-eat.

Butler Tech has participated in SAGE for 12 years and made it to the World Cup several times, but JEE Foods earned the first international win.

“It was really heartwarming to know the international community could put differences aside and come together for a greater purpose,” Michael Rivera, a Ross High School senior and CEO of JEE Foods, said of the SAGE World Cup. “We have a responsibility to be global leaders regardless of our age or the situations that we’re in.”

Student presenters who traveled to South Africa included: Michael Rivera, Chief Executive Officer; Olivia Colyer, Human Resources; Levi Grimm, Chief Marketing Officer; and Brett Eads, Chief Financial Officer.

For more information about JEE Foods, visit JEEFoods.com.

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