Regina Harmon
Transformation—The Societal Impact When ...

Building a relationship - committing to weekly support, partnering to use corporate resources to solve systemic issues - a nonprofit can use those hours and funds strategically to help create long-term change, which leads to transformation…This is what leads to transformation: small acts consistently performed over time. And that is the kind of systemic change that honors Dr. King’s legacy, in addition to upholding jobs that have dignity and fair wages—the leveraging of resources, consistently with trust that the support will be there, corporations, nonprofits, and communities can work together toward eradicating hunger altogether.


Transformation—The Societal Impact When Building Long-Term Partnerships Between Corporations And Nonprofits
Regina Harmon
Imagining An Ideal Town: A Vision for Food ...

This Thanksgiving take time to envision your "ideal town" and the ideal way people could access food in that town.

Imagining An Ideal Town: A Vision for Food Access and Community Connection
Regina Harmon
Indigenous Heritage Month: Immersing in ...

Learning more about historic inequities, and the history of our land is important to finding a way to heal our future and heal our food system. We cannot, and should not, untangle the history of this land and the history of our food system in the U.S. from our Indigenous community, family, and people.

Indigenous Heritage Month: Immersing in Knowledge, Understanding Our Food System History, and Creating Change
Regina Harmon
October Roundtable talk: When we invest in ...

During our October Roundtable Talk, a recurring theme emerged, woven into each of the goals we achieved this past year and stitched into the larger goal we unfurled for this upcoming program year: when we invest in the people within our movement, we surpass our goals. I invite you to read the update below and follow along by listening to our recorded conversation.

October Roundtable talk: When we invest in people, we surpass our goals
Food Recovery Network
Food Bank News Op-Ed: How to Address Sky-High ...

Unfortunately, as the current wave of Gen Z individuals reaches adulthood and becomes eligible to apply for SNAP on their own, college students experience unfortunate obstacles in accessing SNAP benefits, impeding their ability to succeed. 

We have the power to make changes to reduce these barriers and end hunger. 

Food Bank News Op-Ed: How to Address Sky-High Gen Z Hunger Rates

Shop Sustainably and Socially Conscious this Holiday Season

Happy holiday season, FRNds! In the spirit of reducing waste and being good stewards of our network and world, we wanted to share a few ways that we think you can shop sustainably and/or socially conscious this holiday season. 

One-Stop-Shop:

If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for environmentally friendly goodies, look no further than EarthHero, the eco-friendly online marketplace. EarthHero vets their partner brands to ensure their consumers are receiving high-quality goods made with low-impact materials, ensures their operations are low waste and climate neutral, AND donates 1% of their annual sales to organizations working toward a more sustainable future (like FRN!) through being a member of 1% of the Planet.

For the adventure-seeking coffee lover:

Set your FRNd up for success with drinkware and quintessential coffee gear from Planetary Design, a small business based in Montana and long-time friend and supporter of FRN. 

For the Sweet Tooth:

Shop yummy edible cookie dough from the woman-owned and operated company, supporter and friend of FRN, Edoughble. Based in Los Angeles but shipping nationwide, Edoughble offers goodies made in small batches and using only all-natural and clean ingredients. YUM! 

For the person who’s always on the go:

Pack in, pack out with Terra Thread’s line of Fairtrade certified organic cotton backpacks, duffle bags, and more. Founded by father-daughter duo Vik and Vizan Giri, Terra Thread’s vision is to create the world’s most affordable, durable, sustainable, and ethically produced backpacks and bags, all while having a positive impact on the world.

For the gift-giver looking for something unique and handmade:

Shop to support Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in more than 35 countries.

And finally, consider donating your time or money to FRN to make an impact and support our movement to mitigate climate change and end hunger:

  • Gift a donation to FRN on behalf of a loved one. This month, your donation to FRN will go twice as far thanks to a matching donation of $10,000 provided by fairlife. Your contribution helps FRN provide technical assistance, mentorship, supplies, and outreach to our 191 student-led chapters across the U.S. to support their hunger-fighting efforts.

  • Gather your loved ones and sign up for an FRN x Farmlink Power Hour. Through our partnership with The Farmlink Project, FRN is organizing virtual, one-hour zoom calls (Power Hours) to research and contact farms that may be in need of food recovery support. Farm surplus is a major driver of food waste so the more food recovered from farm fields, the more CO2 emissions are saved. On average, one Power Hour results in about 23,000 lbs of fresh, surplus food recovered, which is equal to 22.43 CO2 emissions saved!

We here at FRN are so grateful for the commitment of our nationwide network and their efforts to mitigate climate change and end hunger through everyday efforts of food recovery, advocating for change, and empowering others to get involved in their communities. 


What we’ve learned from students this semester

Throughout this fall student leaders from across the U.S. have joined FRN’s network-wide calls, responded to our social media polls, and emailed us to let us know how their chapters are doing this semester. 

Through this outreach, we learned about some common challenges that are preventing chapters from resuming their food recovery programs, including:

  • Difficulty reconnecting with dining services to recover food

  • Volunteer capacity isn’t quite the same

  • Partner agencies are no longer accepting prepared foods

If you haven’t already, fill out FRN’s End of Semester survey to share information about your chapter’s experience this semester! Your feedback helps FRN National plan our programs and provide the resources you need to activate.

How are chapters responding to the challenges they’re facing to recover surplus food?

70% of FRN chapters planned to recover surplus food this year, but since August only 18% of our chapters have reported food recovery data. Some of the challenges our network faces stem from temporary changes in the food recovery landscape due to the ongoing pandemic. 

In response, FRN Chapters are exploring how to further engage in alternative ways of impacting their communities until they can revive their food recovery programs, including: 

  • Fundraising and/or volunteering with their partner agencies

  • Developing new partnerships with off-campus food donors

  • Joining research Power Hours with FRN and The Farmlink Project

  • Joining conversations about the intersectionality of food waste and food insecurity 

We’ve also learned that a number of our chapters, including new chapters that joined our network this semester, are exploring how to establish on-campus food pantries to increase food access for college students. Additionally, some of our more seasoned chapters are learning how to set up and manage community fridges, which increase food access on a local level. We look forward to learning more about how our chapters are putting these structures in place and what resources might benefit the network to expand these models over time.

Resources to activate your chapter

FRN National is delighted to support our student leaders as they activate their chapters in new ways. Is your chapter seeking ideas on how to stay engaged? Check out these helpful resources, tools, and tips:

If your chapter has helped to set up an on-campus food pantry, we’d love to hear more about your experience. Email us at programs@foodreccoverynetwork.org or DM us on social media to set up a call! Your feedback will help us support other students in the network who are interested in doing the same.

Teamwork makes the Dreamwork: FRN and our Hunger-Fighting Partners

Each day, the approximate 300 hunger-fighting nonprofit organizations in our network serve people experiencing homelessness, children and youth, unemployed or underemployed individuals, older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, immigrants, and other under-resourced groups experiencing hunger. 

These hunger-fighting nonprofits receive food donated through FRN student-led chapters and food business partners and serve it to community members experiencing hunger, free of charge. Last year, FRN donated 1 million meals to these organizations to help feed the 42 million people experiencing hunger in the U.S. 

As pillars of support for communities, as well as a backbone of FRN programs, these partners are vital to the success and impact of our work to end hunger, every day.

In celebration and support of these organizations, last month FRN’s collective network raised $6,351 for our hunger-fighting partners! These funds will support the organizations on the frontlines of the food access movement as they continue to serve and support families and individuals experiencing hunger this holiday season and beyond. 

Additionally, this year we launched our first-ever hunger-fighting partner agency bi-annual newsletter. This newsletter is packed with funding opportunities as well as resources and learning opportunities available to inspire and support our partners’ hunger-fighting efforts. 

If you are a hunger-fighting organization seeking food donations, please contact our team at programs@foodrecoverynetwork.org and we would be happy to assist you. 

Four simple steps to working with food donors off-campus

Has your chapter thought about working with a food donor off-campus? Whether you're unable to recover surplus food on campus or you just want to increase your chapter’s impact, we’re thrilled to help you approach food businesses in your community to create longstanding partnerships. Below are some great resources to help you get started!

Webinar Recording

In this recorded webinar, FRN National and current student chapter leaders explain how to initiate relationships with food businesses outside of campus dining, and what you can do to maintain these partnerships over time. As you’ll hear in the webinar, you are just four steps away from working with new food donors! 

Food Recovery Guide 

Over the years, we’ve spoken with many students in our network about their partnerships with dining service providers and off-campus food donors. The key learnings and advice from fellow FRNds helped inform this thorough guide to help your chapter establish a food recovery program. There’s a lot to review, but the document is easy to navigate using the Table of Contents to find the information you need. It’s a great tool to help you start a food recovery program for the first time, or to refer back to when forming new relationships with food donors and partner agencies.

As always, if you have any questions about the material covered or if you’re experiencing specific challenges with food recovery please schedule a call with our team, text (240) 615-8813, or email us at programs@foodreccoverynetwork.org.

Looking for more resources from FRN National? 

Check out these additional blog posts and visit our student resources webpage for more tools to support your chapter with food recovery, advocacy, and/or community engagement. 

Free Food Handler Certification for FRN Members

About the Opportunity

Thanks to our wonderful partners at Always Food Safe, FRN chapter members can take a professionally recognized Food Handler course FOR FREE! 

This is a virtual and interactive training, which can be completed on your schedule. Upon completion of the course, you'll receive a certificate to add as a special skill on a resume or to share with future food donors.

Take the Course

To get started, use this helpful guide from Always Food Safe to walk step-by-step through the process to create an account and access the course. As an FRN member, you may receive this training free of charge. Email FRN National for the code to access the course.

Receive a Certificate

When you complete the course, you’ll receive a certificate to show that you are recognized as a certified Food Handler by Always Food Safe, an ANSI accredited e-learning provider for the foodservice sectors.

We are delighted to present this certification, in addition to FRN’s food safety training, to expand your knowledge and expertise in food safety and handling.

Additional Resources

Looking for more resources from FRN National? Check out our blogs on Volunteer Recruitment and Retention and Problem Solving During Food Recoveries. You can also click below to access additional student resources provided by FRN National.