There is learning in the work: Reflecting on our August 2022 Roundtable Talk

Achieving goals is not just a series of successes one right after the other. Between each success is hard work, pivoting, failure, recalculations, and tenacity in motion. Now that Food Recovery Network is solidly in the rhythm of our strategic framework, FRN10X, our biannual Roundtable Talks are much more saturated with examples of applied learning, analysis, and very specific requests to the entire network needed to accomplish the work ahead. 

During these Talks, we share the incredible milestones and goals we’ve achieved, of which there are several. Importantly, the Roundtable Talks also provide the space where we share the hardships between those successes that come along with changing the narrative from food waste to food recovery. Our hope is that by sharing those details, we can continue to work with all of you to achieve our goals for this program year and feed people experiencing food insecurity, faster.

In late August 2022, FRN hosted our most recent bi-annual Roundtable Talk. The Talk provided an update on our progress in achieving our stated metric goals for the 2021-2022 program year and reflected on our learnings over that same period of time. We also outlined what we aim to accomplish during the 2022-2023 program by unveiling a new set of ambitious metrics. We hope you can listen to the Talk as it provides so much texture to how we accomplished our many goals, and surpassed every single ambitious metric we set out to achieve. We ask that you share the conversation with your colleagues, friends and family members because it will take all of us to achieve the “near impossible” goal to end hunger forever. Near impossible, but absolutely achievable, together.

Let’s dig in.

Abundance, Accomplishments, and Appreciations

Throughout the conversation the word abundance was referenced often. Abundance in gratitude for the student leaders, for dining providers, for nonprofit partner agencies; for an abundance of food that we were able to recover. FRN works to feed people today by recovering food at the commercial and institutional setting. Each year, combined in those settings, more than 26 million tons of food is wasted, and we know FRN has a unique contribution to lower that astronomical amount of food waste. We worked to grow the number of FRN chapters across the US, including in the 10 states we identified that have the highest rates of food insecure individuals and the highest rates of surplus food. We also deepened our partnerships with organizations aligned in our work.

Goals FRN set out to achieve during the 2021-2022 program year in our August 2021 Roundtable Talk

And here is what we achieved: we surpassed all of our goals for the 2021-2022 year

Throughout the conversation we gave thanks to the hard-working student leaders who tirelessly conduct food recoveries, recruit fellow students to help out, and who organize and participate in advocacy and educational events. We know that 85% of our chapters are facing challenges related to COVID. Still. And yet, when we look at our numbers, despite the challenges they face, our student leaders are showing up to help feed their neighbors in need, to help their fellow students in need. While the amount of food recovered by our FRN chapters is still lower than pre-pandemic semesterly averages, our chapters have recovered more than 102,917 pounds of surplus food compared to the previous academic year, a 38% increase. There goes my heroes, off to class, off to practice, headed to church, to the gym. Thank you all so much.

What we learned: Investments of all kinds matter

The Roundtable Talk offered insights into what we learned over the course of the previous program year. Despite the hardships, FRN surpassed all of our ambitious goals.

And I want to give space to the hardships for just a moment as we did during the Talk. This past year was hard. There were continued stressors, and those stressors do not seem to be letting up: inflation, continued COVID disruptions, confusion around the monkeypox virus, gun violence on top of the life stressors students take on just by being on the journey to obtain higher education. Throughout those hardships, together, we achieved. We give so much kudos to our student leaders and everyone in the FRN network.

What was it that enabled FRN to achieve our metrics despite the hardships? I spoke at length about investments. What do I mean by investments? I mean both the material (money) and the intangible (cultural).

• FRN pays every single person on our team a living wage. Materially, people deserve to be paid fairly for their work and in doing so, our team was able to show up and achieve. FRN pays the farmers we work with to harvest and transport their surplus food, and often, as you can read about in our Atlanta pilots, we also pay them for the actual produce. We pay student leaders for their talents when they commit to specific project work with FRN outside of their dedicated volunteer chapter work. FRN supports the economic security of our team. We respect our network and that respect means paying people fairly.

• We invest in our communities. Our Atlanta Georgia gleaning pilots continue to be an incredible learning resource for FRN on how to listen to the needs of the community in which you are working with the purpose of helping. The community members know where the surplus food needs to go, and they know what resources they need to move more food faster to feed more people. That’s why we’re starting a 6-week after-school pop-up farmers market at K-12 schools in Atlanta, focusing on areas with disproportionate rates of hunger. And we’ve already put more than $16,000 back into the Atlanta community.

• We’re investing in our data-driven approach to feeding more people, faster. We understand that our metrics of pounds of food recovered, meals donated, CO2 emissions diverted, and chapter growth tell an important story, and it’s not the whole story. We will work this year to include new metrics, such as continuing to track how much money we are able to put back into the communities we are supporting, and how many volunteer hours we are able to harness to achieve the goals of our communities.

• We will continue to invest in our incredible student leaders. We are delighted to get back out into the field to meet up with our leaders and support them live-time. Our students need grants to purchase supplies, and we will continue to offer programming based on their needs.

From our deepening relationships with Poor People’s Campaign to Fight for $15, WeightWatchers to support the passage of the Food Donation Improvement Act, our FRNds in Atlanta and Irvine to support our gleaning pilots, we crystalized our belief that when we work with values-aligned organizations, we are able to increase our impact to end hunger forever. 

We consider you a partner in this work. And the relationship FRN has with you is of utmost importance. Your activities, attending the Roundtable Talks, reading our blog and newsletter, making financial contributions, checking to see if specific schools have a chapter, and making introductions when you find out they do not are part of the cultural shift to normalize food recovery. 

Thank you for all that you do.  I am so excited to continue to highlight our partnerships in this upcoming program year, and be in touch.

Your invitation to be involved: 2022-2023 Impact Goals

Together, this year we can achieve these 2022-2023 metric goals. Be in touch with us with your ideas, with your connections, and if you’re not sure how you can help, reach out and we will share ideas with you! We have plenty of ways for you to support the work in ways that make sense for you.

In solidarity,

Regina

I spoke on the Hill for two days. Here is what I said, and what I wish I had said.

I had the honor of representing Food Recovery Network at two events on Capitol Hill last month. On Tuesday, July 12, WW, Bread for the World and FoodTank (on whose Board I proudly sit) hosted an all-day event to gain momentum behind the Food Donation Improvement Act. On Wednesday, July 13, I sat on a panel hosted by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic to discuss why it is critical for young people to be represented in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Photo Credits: Food Tank. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA 2nd District), left, and Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX 18th District), right, speaking at the Fight Food Waste and Insecurity Through the Food Donation Improvement Act event at Capitol Hill.

Food Recovery in action 

I am excited that FRN also showed our commitment to food recovery in action by setting up and conducting the food recovery for the first day of Hill events. FRN National team members Erin and Stephen safely packaged up the food from breakfast and lunch on July 12 and brought it to a local nonprofit that supports our DC neighbors experiencing homlessness. In total, we recovered 63 meals for the community. I reminded the Hill audience that if an event on the Hill can recover their food, we can all establish a food recovery program for our events, and FRN can help!

Photo Credits: Erin Price of Food Recovery Network. FRN with Chef Mark of House of Ruth, left, a non-profit organization in D.C. that serves survivors of domestic violence and unhoused people.

The critical connection FRN is making between food donation and why people are hungry

I also reminded everyone that as long as we focus our efforts solely on designing better food donation systems, we will design a system that centers food donation as the ultimate solution to hunger. We will unconsciously design a line of people waiting for and relying on donated food because they do not have the monetary resources to buy food.

We can no longer create or redesign systems that keep food donation separate from the underlying issues that cause hunger in the first place. And we must be very critical when we think about who we are centering when we create solutions to mitigate hunger. Forty-two million people are economically insecure because the set wages for which they work are not sufficient, though worker productivity continues to skyrocket; because they have astronomical medical debt and college debt; because no where in any US city can anyone work for minimum wage and pay to live in a 2-bedroom apartment even as more of their total income is going towards paying for housing; because when they suffer a health crisis, a mental health crisis or a significant life change such as welcoming a new baby or a family member to live with them, they cannot take sufficient rest before going back to work because they do not have paid leave or sick time.There are also many unforeseen and immediate reasons people need to rely on donated food: natural disasters; an influx of expenses such as a medical bill; house repairs; a new child; increased transportation costs within an already stretched income; a job loss or immobility; national inflation. 

Through our bedrock work of food recovery and data-driven approach, FRN is ready to safely package food and distribute it where it’s needed most. However, we also know that economic security is absolutely essential to ending hunger. Through our systems change work, FRN is working to ensure the economic security of those who are experiencing hunger so that they don’t need to rely on a food donation system to access the food they deserve. 

Photo Credits: Food Tank. Food Recovery Network Executive Director Regina Anderson addresses an audience at the Food Donation Improvement Act Hill Meeting.

Through our systems change work, Food Recovery Network is asking a different, “upstream” question

Instead of asking how we can create a better food donation system, FRN is asking why so many people are so completely economically insecure that they need donated food in the first place. How can we help ensure economic stability so people can care for themselves and their families, secure housing, food, clothing, and education, and weather unforeseen storms that come up in life?

As part of our systems change work to help increase the economic security for the 42 million people experiencing food insecurity in the US, Food Recovery Network has lent our voice to support increasing the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. We are encouraged that more companies are choosing to do this. The minimum wage increase also directly impacts our FRN student leaders who work in hourly roles while attaining their degrees, and who take on hourly wage roles upon graduation. It is imperative to set everyone up for economic success at the minimum federal level.

Students are at the heart of creating loving and thriving communities

When I spoke at the Hill events, I asked everyone to think of someone they know who is in need: someone in our life who is having a hard time, who for whatever reason might be struggling. The person in our mind who is struggling might even be ourselves. I asked everyone to carry that person in their hearts and in their minds as they go about their day because we act differently and make different choices when at the forefront of our hearts and minds is to ease the suffering of someone we love, or to allow for self-care for ourselves when we can. 

FRN students center those in need every single day. Our student leaders know how to show up within the food system to recover precious surplus food, whether on their college campuses, on farm fields and at farmers markets, or at events. They understand the importance of building a food system where food is eaten and enjoyed, not thrown away. They understand how essential it is to build meaningful relationships in our communities and get to know one another, bond, and ease suffering. And, importantly, our students are taking action every day to improve lives. I recommend engaging with us at Food Recovery Network as a way to center your efforts and find inspiration, and to discover more ways to engage with improving the lives of your neighbors.

Photo credits: Food Recovery Network. Students at Virginia Commonwealth University (left) and Loyola University Chicago (right) recovering surplus food at their schools.

What I didn’t say on the Hill 

I told the Hill audiences on both days that the conversations we were all participating in are an offering and an invitation to become involved with FRN. And I invited every single person to be in touch with me directly. If you are reading this, I hope you are in touch with me and with FRN as well.

Just as important as what I did say, there is something very critical that I did not bring up. 

We cannot solely rely on volunteers to do this work. I say this as a chronic volunteer myself, and I say this with love and respect to those who are dedicated volunteers. The kind of structural redesign we are envisioning cannot rely solely on the passion and commitment of volunteers. We need to create fairly paid positions to support consistent food donation programs at the scale necessary to ensure 26 million tons of good food does not go to landfill from the commercial and industry food spaces.

Our student leaders across the U.S. volunteer because they are passionate about helping within their community. They want to learn in a hands-on, authentic way. They want to participate in efforts that have immediate impacts on the lives of their neighbors and on our planet. Importantly, our student leaders’ schedules allow them to recover and donate food right when the food is ready, which is often when other volunteers are at work or otherwise unavailable: 11:20am on Mondays after breakfast, 12:45pm on Tuesdays after lunch, 10:30pm on Friday nights after the sporting events stop serving food. Every car or van load of recovered food that our volunteers pack up is meaningful. When Erin and Stephen recovered 67 meals from the Hill, their efforts made a difference. Together, our 200+ chapters across the US are making a tremendous and impressive impact in their communities. 

At the same time, we know that larger scale food recoveries that require trucks and forklifts and refrigeration and staff coordination require compensation, and we need to get used to that now. For example, we created our Food Recovery Verified (FRV) program as a way to support businesses to create a recovery program for their corporate dining and events. We do not typically rely on our students to help with these efforts because they already have their recovery schedules established, and when we do ask for their help, we compensate them by paying a living wage.

I cannot tell you how often we’ve been approached to support a food recovery and when we discuss the cost to conduct it, companies tell us they assume the recoveries are done for free. Many companies choose not to have a recovery plan in place because they do not want to pay anything at all for the work of designing, coordinating and conducting the recovery. Thanks to support from organizations such as Groupon, National Association of REALTORS®, WW, and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, FRN can underwrite the cost of some of the recoveries our staff coordinates. But not all of them, and not always. We have a sliding scale cost calculator for companies so they can estimate how much it will cost for FRN to support their recovery efforts. The calculator takes into account our staff time that is set at a living wage. One goal of FRV is to help companies learn how to conduct their recoveries in-house so that they can incorporate food  recovery in their regular budget and operations. 

The 2023 Farm Bill that I spoke in support of can provide financial support to companies that are interested in starting food recovery programs. California and New York City have already begun the process to require food recovery from certain institutions and I know that companies are very unsure how to do that, where to start, and the impact that might have on their bottom line. Starting the food recovery and donation process with FRN can help companies save a lot of money in the long-run with a short-term investment up front.

What’s next?

There is so much more I’d love to share about my two days on the Hill, and I look forward to sharing more thoughts soon. In the meantime:

• Learn more about the Food Donation Improvement Act (FDIA) and how it expands upon the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Law.

• The FDIA is set to be voted on in September. FRN will provide resources to those interested in connecting with their state representatives to encourage them to support the FDIA and more food recovery policy initiatives. 

• Food Recovery Network will host our semi-annual Roundtable Talk conversation at the end of August, so be on the lookout for the invitation.

• To ensure FRN has the ability to attend such events, and to recover from such events, please consider making a tax deductible donation to Food Recovery Network today. 

• Learn more about the 2023 Farm Bill included in Congress, who is responsible for the Bill.

FRN and our partners hit a new milestone feeding people

This spring, FRN continued hosting research Power Hours to support our friends at The Farmlink Project. Power Hours are one-hour zoom calls where volunteers help us find farm contacts in regions where surplus food is occurring and food insecurity rates are highest. This research is so important because it allows FRN and The Farmlink Project to contact more farmers and offer food recovery support so that we can reduce food waste and feed more people. With help from some of our key partners, including Aramark, Clif Bar, fairlife, Groupon, OXO, and Sodexo we recovered 3 million pounds of surplus food in six months - that’s double the impact of this program compared to last fall! 

Since January, FRN and our volunteers have identified 601 new farm contacts for The Farmlink Project. These connections were made as harvest seasons changed, a time when surplus food becomes available due to shifts in consumer preferences for produce. In the weeks and months when farmers have an abundance of products while consumer demand has dropped, The Farmlink Project will help farmers donate their surplus food, rather than letting it go to waste. 

At the same time, our work enabled The Farmlink Project to move more produce into communities across the country that are experiencing high rates of food insecurity. In total, 75% of the farm contacts that we identified operate in states where food insecurity rates are the highest in the U.S. Check out FRN’s Roundtable Talks to learn more about FRN’s ten target states and our systems change work!

Joining Power Hours is a great way to get involved in the fight against hunger and climate change, and to engage in volunteer service with friends and colleagues. Check out the impact that our friends at OXO had this year, detailed below! If your organization is interested in scheduling a dedicated research Power Hour, contact FRN’s Program Manager, Erin Price, at erin.price@foodrecoverynetwork.org.

Power Hour Spotlight: OXO

To kick off Earth Month in April, FRN organized a dedicated research Power Hour for our friend​​s at OXO, and it was an incredible success. OXO recruited 42 volunteers from their company to join this virtual volunteer opportunity with FRN, and within the hour they added over 100 new farm contacts to The Farmlink Project’s database. 

This research led to the recovery and donation of 1 million pounds of surplus food, equivalent to 910,000 meals, that would have otherwise gone to waste! Aside from helping to feed people, by engaging in this Power Hour, OXO also prevented 480.92 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, which equates to taking 1,200 cars off the road, by keeping good food out of our landfills. 

We’re so grateful to our partners like OXO for their participation in Power Hours and we look forward to hosting more volunteer calls in the fall. 

The Pillars of our Network: FRN’s Hunger-Fighting Partners

Today, I write to you in celebration of partnership and collaboration. I was attracted to the work here at Food Recovery Network, and my specific role as Manager of Stakeholder Engagement, because of the opportunities to collaborate with a variety of people and organizations all collectively committed to one central movement to end hunger and mitigate climate change. 

At Food Recovery Network, our model is collaborative, student-driven, and community-centered. Aligned with these practices, we recognize that community members and those closest to individuals impacted by hunger are best suited to serve their own communities. As an organization working across the U.S., with the opportunity to have a deep impact in communities where we have student-led chapters and food business partners, it is important for FRN to be specific in our contribution to each community. 

FRN student volunteers from Case Western Reserve University’s FRN chapter recover and donate surplus food to their hunger-fighting nonprofit partner, St. Matthew’s.

To achieve a community-centered model, FRN ensures that each student-led chapter and food business partner has the autonomy to design and implement their food recovery program so that it can fit the unique needs and capacities of their own community. In turn, our student-led chapters and food business partners connect with and donate their recovered food to local, hunger-fighting organization(s) that serve individuals experiencing hunger in their community. 

Volunteer at The Community Kitchen serves a meal to individuals experiencing hunger. Photo Credit: The Community Kitchen, Olympia, WA

These organizations are shelters, soup kitchens, afterschool programs, veterans centers, and community centers that serve the local community in various ways, including by distributing recovered food. Through partnership with these organizations, FRN chapters' food donations reach people experiencing homelessness, children and youth, students, unemployed or underemployed individuals, older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, immigrants, and other under-resourced groups experiencing hunger. This network of more than 300 hunger-fighting organizations that help to support the 42 million people experiencing hunger in the U.S. is vital to the work of FRN. 

“We are grateful that we’re able to receive food from their dining halls, that not only keeps food out of the landfill, but allows us to give it to those who need it. And at the same time, we’re able to support the pantry that is on the campus as well. It’s a partnership where we help each other by supporting each other.”

— Les Aylesworth, Director of CHOW (Community Outreach Warehouse), Binghamton, New York, partnered with the FRN chapter at Binghamton University

Recently we launched our 2022 partner agency survey to better understand and respond to the gaps and needs of our hunger-fighting partners and the constituents they serve. 

If you are a hunger-fighting organization that partners with an FRN chapter or food business partner, please take 5 minutes to fill out our Partner Agency Survey and FRN will make a $50 donation to your organization to support the great work you are doing in your community. 

FRN uses the data from our partner agencies to help ensure that our programming is attuned to supporting our community partners, always. For example, year in and year out, when FRN asked how we could best support our hunger-fighting partners beyond donating surplus food, they indicated a need for additional funding for their community programs. 

In response, FRN began to identify and implement ways we can route funds directly to our hunger-fighting partners. Last year, FRN ran a virtual fundraising campaign that raised $6,351 for a selection of our hunger-fighting partners across the country. This year, in addition to donating funds to our partners who complete the survey, FRN has launched a bi-annual Partner Agency Newsletter that is packed with targeted funding opportunities, resources, and more. FRN has also encouraged our FRN chapters to host fundraisers on behalf of their hunger-fighting partners to help engage the local community and students in supporting these organizations. 

Mwandisha Gaitor, Culinary Creator and Owner of 2 Pieces of Toast, distributing gleaned produce from 5 As Veggies & Produce as part of FRN’s Atlanta Gleaning program.

Besides funding, our partners have also continually expressed a need for fresh produce for their hunger-fighting programs. In response to this request, FRN deepened and expanded our gleaning work in select communities across the country, including Atlanta, GA and Irvine, CA. Gleaning is the act of harvesting excess fresh produce from farms, gardens, and farmers' markets and donating it to hunger-fighting organizations. In the coming year, we will continue to build upon these gleaning programs and work with select FRN chapters who glean to identify the most scalable ways for our chapters across the country to route more fresh produce to partner agencies in their communities.

“Because of the quality of food that we receive, families are eating healthier and getting well-balanced meals....with few, if any, additions.”

— Reverend Bessie Donaldson, Richard Allen Community Outreach Inc. Saturday Youth Academy, Atlanta, GA, partner of the FRN chapter at Georgia Tech who currently gleans and donates surplus produce from local Atlanta farming partners

FRN student volunteers at Georgia Tech recovering surplus food to feed local communities experiencing hunger throughout Atlanta.

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

As an individual committed to helping people always, I am grateful to be in partnership with these organizations and people who serve their communities so diligently. 

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. 

Support the economic security of those who are food insecure

In 2021 Food Recovery Network began our partnership with Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) to elevate our collective voices. Together we are spreading the word, organizing, and activating to raise the federal minimum wage from a suppressed $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour through the Fight for $15 campaign. 

FRN’s systems change work, which is part of our larger strategic framework, FRN10X, is focused on achieving economic security for the 42 million people who are currently food insecure. We can support people who are food insecure by joining the fight to ensure they have the economic security to be able to afford the food they deserve. At the same time, many of our students who are doing the work to recover surplus food have jobs that pay an hourly minimum wage, and we need to ensure everyone’s economic security by supporting a fair minimum wage.

Our partnership with PPC supports our systems change work around economic security, and our partnership supports PPC’s work to bring dignity, respect, and fair wages to those who are poor and low-wage workers. You can read my recent blog post to learn more about Poor People’s Campaign and how we’re working together to achieve these goals.

Learn more and get involved in Poor People’s Campaign’s efforts

On June 18, 2022, in Washington DC, PPC is organizing the Mass Poor People’s Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly. Washington, DC is the homeland of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe and where FRN is headquartered. We encourage you to get to know PPC and their mission, read more about what the Assembly is all about, and make arrangements to join us if you can.

Join these upcoming special events to learn more about the Assembly on June 18:

• On April 28, Poor People’s Campaign is hosting a call just for students at 7:30pm EST so you can learn more about the June 18 assembly. RSVP for the call by clicking here!

• On May 17 I will have a conversation with PPC Policy Director Shailly Barnes, who will discuss the Assembly and how you can be involved. Shailly will be among several inspiring voices I will talk to about our collective work to ensure economic security for all of us.

I hope you can join PPC on April 28 to learn more about the June 18 Assembly, and join me on May 17 as I talk with Shailly of PPC and others to discuss economic security and what we can do to make this a reality for everyone.