Eat Sprout and TIS Join Forces For Zero Waste

Eat Sprout has big plans for 2019, and they enlisted Talbot Interfaith Shelter to help them reach their goals and better our community in the process.

Sprout is making big strides this year toward becoming a zero waste company.  They have already converted to compostable packaging, and are planning to take incremental steps throughout the year to ensure that they are 100% waste-free by 2020.  According to Sprout owner Ryan Groll, this means that everything that is edible will be turned into something that can be consumed, and any food byproducts will be composted and distributed to local farmers.

A large part of their zero waste effort involves making sure that unsold pre-packaged food makes it to people who will eat it, rather than ending up in the trash.  For this part of their plan, Groll reached out to Talbot Interfaith Shelter.  TIS has both a shelter facility and eight off-site transitional apartments.  While the shelter receives daily meal donations, often the families and individuals living in the apartments need a little help beyond their grocery budget.

When there are extra meals and snacks available at Sprout, Groll contacts TIS’ Operations Manager Fran Doran, and she picks them up and brings them to Easton’s Promise for distribution to the apartment guests.

“We are so excited about this partnership,” Doran says.  “Not only does it help fill a need for our guests, but it exposes them to healthy food and ingredients that they might not normally eat.  It also teaches them that eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated, and that a simple meal can be nutritious and taste great.”

Sprout has a tradition of donating food to those in need in our community.  It is important to Groll that he is able to provide already prepared meals, rather than donating leftover ingredients.

Groll says, “Whenever I go to food banks, I see people taking easy-to-prepare food that can be easily and quickly cooked, but isn’t necessarily healthy.  Perhaps they want the fresh ingredients that are available, but don’t know how to prepare them, or simply don’t have the time, so they opt for the non-perishable options.  When we donate food, we want it to be fresh and ready-to-eat, so that the recipients can have a healthy meal that’s just as easy as a processed one.”

Eat Sprout is owned and operated by husband and wife Ryan and Emily Groll.  The Grolls are passionate about healthy living and helping others thrive.  As experts in the health, fitness and the food industry, they believe taste buds are made happiest by food that’s crafted close by, in smaller batches and by certified nutritionists interpreting great recipes.  Rather than stamping out huge quantities of meals from a giant kitchen somewhere and trucking them all over the world, they work with local farmers to prepare a great variety of tasty prepared meals, all dreamed up locally and delivered to directly to their customers’ doors. They’ve also created a Grab n Go café on Aurora Street in Easton where their products can be sampled and bought.

Talbot Interfaith Shelter (TIS) is a 501(c)3 organization based in Easton and serving Talbot County and the surrounding areas.  The organization has developed a program that they call S4 (Shelter, Stability, Support, Success), which is designed to give guests access to a stable homelike environment, services, and tools that can help them break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and regain their independence.  Once guests are accepted into Easton’s Promise, they receive case management as they move through an individualized plan, eventually transitioning into one of the shelter’s eight subsidized off-site apartments, where they incrementally take over expenses until they are fully self-sufficient.

Their vision is that no one in Talbot County will ever have to spend a night on the streets, in a car or in the woods because he or she cannot find housing.  To learn more about how you can help, visit www.talbotinterfaithshelter.org or contact Julie Lowe at 410-310-2316 or [email protected].