Ah, college students. So passionate. So idealistic. So willing to ingest garbage. (No, not Taco Bell. Actual garbage.)

Such is the inspiration behind the Gleaner’s Kitchen, the brainchild of Tufts University student Maximus Thaler (and no we are not making that up). The not-for-profit restaurant, which for now exists only as a proposal on venture capital site Kickstarter, would serve only food salvaged from the trash. Like many adherents of what has come to be known as Freeganism, Thaler and his friends were disturbed by grocery stores and restaurants that discard expired but still perfectly edible food. They began making nightly rounds to raid Dumpsters and trash cans in and around Somerville, Mass., sorting, cleaning and divvying up the salvage. What can’t be eaten as is is put to use in another form, such as using mushy fruit to make juice, or washing and repurposing plastic containers for food storage.

As of this writing, Gleaner’s Kitchen has more than doubled its original Kickstarter goal of $1,500. In addition to food, once up and running, Thaler promises the poetry readings, lectures and meals for the hungry. Just don’t take it the wrong way when he reclaims your doggie bag.

Source: www.thegleanerskitchen.org via The Huffington Post