Santa Clara, CA —Food Recovery Network (FRN) set a record this year by recovering 14,017.37 pounds of food from two Big Game tailgates in just one afternoon. As players gathered for the coin toss and fans waited anxiously for kickoff, FRN volunteers and team were already behind the scenes, recovering food from two of the largest tailgate parties in the nation. When Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate and The Players Tailgate bid adieu to guests, FRN got to work packaging up all of the perfectly good, unserved food, loaded up rented vans and trucks to get that food to agencies serving people experiencing hunger in the Bay Area. 

For the past six years, FRN has teamed up with Bullseye Events Group to recover surplus food from the Players Tailgate, and for the second year, through a partnership with Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, had boots on the ground at Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Tailgate, ensuring that high-quality food didn’t go to waste and would be used to nourish families experiencing hunger in the Bay Area. FRN’s 6-year impact just rose to over 40,000 pounds in total!

Said FRN CEO Regina Harmon, "We are truly grateful for our partnership with Hellmann's Mayonnaise in our food recovery initiative at Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate. Recovering surplus food requires people power, transportation vehicles, packaging supplies, and items like thermometers to ensure food safety. We depend on donors' support to ensure that high-quality food does not go to waste and helps feed individuals experiencing hunger in communities across the United States. And we are actively seeking sponsorships and donations at all levels.”

Two Events By The Numbers

Total Impact:

• POUNDS: Recovered 14,090.37 pounds of fresh surplus food

• MEALS: Provided the equivalent of 11,681 meals

• CO2e: Prevented 8.83 metric tons of CO2e, which is the same as 2 passenger vehicles driven for one year being off the road. 

• WATER: Saved 1.66 million gallons of water, the same as 3 Olympic swimming pools.

Individual Event Impact:

• Guy Fieri's Flavortown:10,683 pounds recovered

• The Player's Tailgate: 3,407.37 pounds recovered

Hunger Fighting Partner Organizations:

• Delancey Street Foundation

• Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen

• Hunger at Home

Food Items Recovered Include:

• Various Soups and Sauces such as crab soup, cheese sauce, jalapeño dip (20+5-gallon buckets)

• Produce such as Apple Slices (multiple cases), Carrots, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Fresh Herbs, Avocados, Tomatillos

• Dairy such as Butter, Buttermilk, Sliced Cheese, 15-20 dozen eggs

• Snack Items such as Pretzel Bites and Donkey Sauce

• High Value Protein, such as 6 Trays of Artisan Sausage, Chef-Prepared Chicken and Burgers, Burnt Beef Ends, Uncooked Bacon, Crab Rangoon

This year, Food Recovery Network student chapter members and alumni from the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University helped to facilitate these crucial food recovery efforts. With more than 200 college chapters nationwide and an active network of 8,000 students and partners, FRN is dedicated to advancing food justice through its three-tiered mission: recovering surplus food, reducing environmental impact by diverting food from landfills, and delivering high-quality meals to individuals experiencing hunger. 

In addition to its work at the Big Game, FRN's business service initiatives extend beyond the football field. A recent partnership with Gaylord Hotels in Washington, D.C., and San Diego has led to a 100,000-pound recovery milestone. “Food recovery is essential to reaching our sustainability goals,” said Ryan Verhulst, Hotel Manager at Gaylord National. “As part of the Marriott family, we emphasize nurturing our world and reducing our environmental footprint. Partnerships like the one we have with Food Recovery Network help us achieve these goals while giving back to local families in need.”  FRN will mark 100,000 pounds from Gaylord alone within the next few weeks. 

As individuals and communities begin to plan for spring and summer festivals and events, Food Recovery Network calls on our nation to join them in this vital mission to end hunger and promote food justice.  For information about Food Recovery Network’s Event Services and Food Recovery Verified business program, visit foodrecoverynetwork.org.