When a door closes a window opens…

Portola Salad Bar
By Mark Rousseau - December 21, 2017

Old Portola at Santa Catalina Donates Thousands of Food Service Items to Goleta Union School District

With the opening of the new Portola Dining Commons, HDAE closed the “old” Portola. Instead of throwing out items, 3,649 pieces were donated to Goleta Union School District (GUSD) for their use in the 10 campus school district. Jeff Wesson and the Portola team, along with Robbie Wright, coordinated the items to be donated. Mark Rousseau, HDAE Energy & Environmental Manager, spoke with Kim Leung, GUSD Food Service Director, and after hearing three sentences about the donation, she responded with “We want it all!”  

In two days, all the items were loaded onto a truck and taken to the district central kitchen and storage. Items included: plates, bowls, serving trays and platters, cups and small equipment. Often we have to call multiple organizations and organize pick up times or deliveries to local non-profits and schools, but Kim and GUSD made it easy for UCSB. The department is glad the items can be useful for them and reused. The entire UC System has a zero waste goal for 2020, and this project is a good example of avoiding waste and helping others.   

Another example of win-win situations HDAE strives for, and it showcases the great partnership UCSB has with the community.

GUSD Students