Junk Food?

Starting last week, Binghamton has a new, ahem, venue for preparing and serving free lunches: a dumpster.

No, it’s doesn’t involve dumpster diving. Nor does it even resemble a dumpster. To be more descriptive, it’s a converted, nicely-appointed dumpster with recycled kitchen equipment. Waste Management cleaned up the bin (it was apparently sitting unused) and installed the used cooking gear.

Every Friday this summer, area food recovery group CHOW will provide the food to serve free lunches, with Catholic Charities involved, too. (WF reader/commenter extraordinaire Dan Livingston is involved and quoted. 

My favorite part is that in addition to free lunches, there are doggy bags:

“Waste Management has also provided take-out trays, so any of the leftovers, the parents were encouraged to fill a take-out tray,” said Marsha Maroney with Catholic Charities.

I have to say: the choice of a dumpster is a bit puzzling. Then again, it seems somewhat appropriate–food that otherwise would be sent to a dumpster is instead prepared in one. Plus, it is pretty nice-looking (and reminds me of the shipping container bar in a Heineken ad).

What do you make of this? Is it insulting to those seeking a free meal? Hip re-use of old stuff? Something in between?