Two Hayward Organizations Win StopWaste Awards

At a ceremony last month, Alameda County public agency StopWaste announced the winners of this year’s Environmental Leadership Awards.  

The annual awards program honors Alameda County entities for their leadership and innovations in advancing environmental sustainability, waste prevention, and contributions to building healthy, climate-resilient communities. Among the six organizations recognized, two are based in Hayward. 

Vesta Foodservice: Excellence in Food Recovery & Donation  

Pictured above: Vesta Foodservice Champions Jin Ju Wilder and Bonnie Ainsworth at the StopWaste award ceremony. 

Food distributor Vesta Foodservice delivers food to restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other foodservice providers throughout California and beyond from their Northern California headquarters in Hayward. Their Chefs to End Hunger (CTEH) program makes it easy for customers to donate surplus prepared foods and perishables like dairy, produce, and meats that are close to expiration dates. Vesta drivers pick up these high-quality foods from customers during their regularly scheduled deliveries and bring them back to the warehouse in Hayward. From here, Vesta’s food recovery partners distribute them to nearby vulnerable communities. By utilizing the trips Vesta drivers already make, carbon emissions from transport are minimized. At no additional cost for customers, Vesta provides donation kits—consisting of a box, three sheet pans and labeling—and facilitates all outreach and training for the program. Last year, the amount of surplus food that was redistributed to communities in Alameda County exceeded 760,000 lbs.  

Spectrum Community Services & Sparkl Reusables:  

Excellence in Reusable Foodware Partnership 

Pictured above: Champions Paul Liotsakis of Sparkl Reusables and Becky Bruno of Spectrum Community Services received StopWaste awards for their partnership. 

Hayward nonprofit Spectrum Community Services offers a senior meal program that provides low-income and older Alameda County residents with healthy meals for pickup at locations in Alameda, Oakland, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward and Union City. With over 400 meals served each day, they were troubled by the amount of disposable packaging generated and searched for a solution. They found it in Sparkl Reusables, an Oakland-based reusable foodware service provider. At 8 of their 10 distribution sites, Spectrum clients now pick up their meals in reusable clamshells and lidded bowls, to be carried away in reusable bags. On their next visit to a meal site, seniors drop off the empty, rinsed containers in designated collection bins. Sparkl staff pick up the used foodware for washing and on the same trip drop off freshly sanitized containers for the next day’s meal distribution. The innovative partnership prevents some 10,000 pieces of disposable foodware from being wasted each month.