McLean Student Launches Fruit Rescue Program To Benefit Food Bank

McLean, Virginia — Virginia is full of bright, driven young people making a difference in and out of the classroom. That’s why Patch and T-Mobile have teamed up to spotlight students excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

This submission comes from Anne Kim, who nominated Elliot Pomper of Virginia.

If you know a student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured as a Star Student on Patch.

What is the star student’s name?

Elliot Pomper

What grade is the student in?

11th

How do you know the star student?

Parent

Tell us about your star student's accomplishments and why they deserve to be recognized on Patch!

Elliot is a junior at Langley High School who noticed that his classmates were tossing whole fruit from school lunch into the garbage. He decided to rescue as many pieces of fruit as possible for donation to his local food bank, SHARE of McLean. Last April, he started putting bins in the cafeteria for collecting fruit and organized a twice-weekly donation schedule with SHARE. Since then, he’s been delivering fruit every Tuesday and Friday for SHARE and has more than 8,000 apples, bananas, oranges and Craisins packets. He has also started a website, www.fruit-full.org, and is offering “starter kits” to students interested in starting their own fruit rescue initiatives. He has also been in touch with Fairfax County Public Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services about expanding his program within FCPS. Elliot’s effort is a simple way to reduce food waste and help the needy in his community.

What three words best describe your star student?

Committed, caring, conscientious.

Keep up the great work, Elliot Pomper. If you know an outstanding student who deserves recognition, we want to hear about them! Click here to nominate them to be featured on Patch.