Liz Miller, Josiah Quincy Elementary School
Kelly Keefe’s fifth grade students at Josiah Quincy Elementary School have been working on civic action projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Keefe reached out to us to find a Pathfinders guest who could bring some of these topics to life, so we connected her with Liz Miller, Senior Manager of Community Relations at Spoonfuls.
Liz started her visit by talking about how much food is wasted in the US, inviting discussion about shared experiences (what happens when you make too much of something, and by day three you are just so sick of those leftovers?). This led into her presentation about food recovery and Spoonfuls’ mission: picking up perfectly good food that is being thrown away, and helping to distribute it to people who need it.
A small group activity and discussion about “expiration dates” followed, with students questioning the nuances of “best by” versus “use by” dates on food packages, and debating what could happen to someone if they eat food after the stated date. As Liz taught us, there are no rules or regulations telling manufacturers how to put these dates on foods, leaving lots of room for interpretation while contributing to food waste. So what should we do? “Look, smell, taste, don’t waste” – use your senses to figure out whether a food is okay to eat, rather than blindly following the date on the package and risking unnecessary waste. Liz passed out information about the food waste challenge, and encouraged students and grown-ups alike to share the information they learned.
It was at the very end of Liz’s visit that she touched on career pathways. When one student asked whether Spoonfuls pays her, Liz shared, “Yes! I do this for my job, and I work with lots of other people who are part of the organization and make our programs possible. We even have a team of people who raise money so that Spoonfuls can operate.” For students who are interested in civic action, connecting with someone like Liz can illuminate those kinds of career pathways. The Pathfinders program is available to all grade levels in Boston Public Schools, and Liz’s visit was an example of how our guests can adjust their content and delivery to meet the attention span and energy of different age groups. Earlier this year, we brought a Pathfinder to a pre-K class at JQES! If you’re interested in becoming a Pathfinder, reach out to our team here.
