Pay It Forward: DC moms teaming up to end childhood hunger

WASHINGTON - Nothing pulls at the heartstrings like the thought of a child going hungry and three DC mothers are teaming up to Pay It Forward by working to solve childhood hunger in the District.

Stoddert Elementary School in Northwest DC found a way to cut down on food waste while taking care of their fellow students and community. The 5th-grade class came up with the idea of a Share Table. At the end of each lunch period, students who have unopened food items they don't want can put them in baskets set up around the lunchroom.

Students who didn't have enough to eat at lunch or who may need a little extra snack to take home can grab what they want from the baskets. It's also available for students and staff who need a snack throughout the day.

Lucie Leblois, Alysa MacClellan and Krista Weymouth are parents of DC Public School students and were motivated by the sentiment behind the Share Table. The trio helped create the DC Food Project, which includes two initiatives: The Share Table, which they are hoping to implement in several schools and then system-wide, and the Backpack Program.

The Backpack Program sends food home in students' backpacks on Fridays to families who are food insecure and who have opted into the program. They are working with DCPS staff to implement the programs in schools throughout the District.

FOX 5 and Easterns Automotive Group teamed up to help the DC Food Project continue its mission to Pay It Forward. Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive Group presented DC Food Project with a $2,700 check to help their efforts.

If you know someone who should be featured on Pay It Forward, you can nominate them here. In your email, be sure to include who they are and why they deserve to be recognized.