Throughout the month of December, FRN is celebrating and raising funds (which will be matched by fairlife through 12/31/22) in support of our nationwide network of 180+ student-led chapters across the U.S. that recover surplus food, support their neighbors and local communities experiencing hunger, and mobilize their peers to advocate for and build a more sustainable food system and future.
Today, we are highlighting one chapter among the many. Follow along on our social media (@foodrecovery) throughout the month of December to witness many more highlight stories of our dedicated student leaders nationwide.
Food Recovery Network at Utah State University
Food Recovery Network at Utah State University activates through a student-run gleaning program called Cache Community Gleaning. Their student volunteers harvest excess fruit from local tree and garden owners and donate that food to hunger-fighting partners in their community. Their gleaning program started in 2018 as a way to reduce surplus food, and they have since gleaned and donated over 151,900 pounds of produce to date. Click here to watch and learn more about their gleaning program directly from student volunteers.
In a recent conversation with Kate, Utah State FRN Chapter Leader, she shared this incredible story highlighting the impact of their chapter:
“This year’s apricot season was slow and a lot less bountiful than previous years in Cache Valley. Because of this, there were some weeks that we struggled a bit more than usual to find properties to glean at. One particular week I (Kate) had driven out to a more rural part of the valley to scout out some properties we were hoping to glean that day and later that week. As I arrived at one of the properties, a nature preserve, that we were anticipating a large harvest, I found that all the apricot trees were completely barren of fruit. A little beside myself, I made my way to another property in the area to see if their tree had much of a yield for us. Along the way I missed a turn and ended up driving down a very remote dirt road with one house along a large stretch of land. There, outside of the solitary house, was a big, beautiful apricot tree that obviously was dropping fruit quickly. I stopped and knocked on the door of the house and a very kind elderly woman answered. I told her about our program’s services and offered to bring a team of gleaners out to pick and donate her fruit for her if it was something she would be interested in. She was thrilled to have us come, sharing that she had hoped to have the tree removed before the fruit came on but wasn’t able to in time. We picked hundreds of pounds of gorgeous fruit from her tree and it was enjoyed by many.”
Your support of FRN’s programs helps our team to mobilize, train, and supply our student-led chapters across the U.S. to recover more food faster from college and university campuses, businesses, and farms across the United States.
Today through 12/31, your donation to FRN will be doubled by our partner, fairlife.
And be sure to follow along on our social media (@foodrecovery) through December to see how other FRN chapters are fighting food waste and supporting their communities across the U.S.