The Circular Table

WHAT IS CIRCULAR TABLE?

Circular Table is The Sameritan Project’s active food redistribution pilot. With funding now secured, we are testing a streamlined model that takes surplus food—rescued from trusted partners—and transforms it into nourishing, ready-to-eat meals delivered directly to people who are often missed by traditional food systems.

We’re not a pantry. We’re not a fridge.
We’re building a low-barrier, high-impact loop—from recovery to prep to delivery—designed to meet people where they are.

WHY DOES THIS WORK MATTER?

Food waste is still rampant. In California, food banks and pantries often discard large amounts of edible food—especially unfamiliar items that people don’t know how to cook or feel stigmatized receiving.
Studies show many avoid pantries due to stigma, taste preferences, or lack of cooking knowledge.
California law (SB 1383) now requires that at least 20% of edible surplus food be recovered and redirected to people—not landfills—by 2025. Cities and food generators are legally obligated to participate in this shift.
Circular Table supports this mandate by turning surplus into ready-to-eat meals.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

We source surplus from:

Partner organizations already rescuing food
Restaurants, chefs, and caterers with extra ingredients or prepared meals
Local donors on a case-by-case basis, depending on our kitchen capacity

Central Processing

Food is transported to a commercial kitchen—either ours or a trusted partner’s.
There, it’s cooked into complete nutrious meals by trained handlers.

Distribution

Meals are delivered to individuals on our curated community list, including those:

Affected by the LA fires
Unable to access food pantries or shelters
Who simply need help without the hoops

REQUEST MEALS

While we are working with organizations serving communities affected by the fires, if you or your organization supports one of the above groups, please email val@goodsameritan.org to become a recipient.

GET INVOLVED WITH THE PILOT

Building a circular food future takes all of us. Whether you’re ready to fund what’s next, bring your expertise, or contribute resources, we welcome aligned collaborators to help move this work forward with care, innovation, and integrity.

If any of the needs below resonate with you, reach out: 📩 val@goodsameritan.org

Seeking Chefs
We’d love your help picking up a shift in the kitchen to batch-create meals with us. This is a recipe playground—where surplus meets skill and becomes something nourishing.

For Potential Partners
We are seeking venue partners to bring a pop up scrap kitchen experience to life in the Los Angeles area.

For In-Kind Contributors
Every element makes this pilot stronger—from ingredients, packaging, and commercial kitchen space to delivery tools and data systems.

For Volunteers
The best way to stay up to date on current volunteer opportunities is to join our newsletter.

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