International Forum for Women's Food Leadership in the Global South

(From left) Maddie, HC, Karen, Cam, Mia, and Hannah attend the International Forum for Women's Food Leadership in the Global South at GWU in late October.

This post is written by Maddie Cunninghan, an FRN Expansion Fellow for the 2015-2016 year.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the International Forum for Women's Food Leadership in the Global South at The George Washington University with several of my FRN colleagues. Hosted by GWU's Global Gender Program, this extraordinary event brought women from diverse fields, backgrounds, and geographical locations together to share their stories of the fight to build a more just food system. 

Throughout the two days, several themes emerged that I found particularly powerful and relevant to the work FRN leaders do each day. One theme the panelists brought up many times was the need to focus on solutions, not just problems. As women from developing nations, many of the women were all too used to their country or region being used as a case study for problems like agricultural inefficiency, lack of infrastructure, or malnutrition. While these are real problems, and seeing them clearly is deeply important, the next step is to do something about them.

The female food leaders we heard from know a thing or two about doing something to create real change. So do FRN student leaders. As a New Chapter Coordinator at FRN, I get to speak with student leaders working hard to create official FRN chapters of their campuses every day.  In my mind, these students are “Food Leaders” in their own right. These students are informed about climate change, hunger, and social inequality. They see problems in their community, and they do something.  

The way FRN chapters go about making a difference is simple, tangible, and effective. They donate food that would normally be wasted to people in need. This may not tackle all of the problems related to our food system all at once, but as the fellow who took on the task of entering all of our partner agency testimonials into a new database this year I can assure you that FRN leaders are making a difference.  At one point during the conference, one of the women said “Just because it's complex doesn't mean we don't go there.” The women food leaders I had the opportunity to hear speak, and FRN leaders both prove that being informed about complex issues doesn’t have to lead to paralysis. So FRNds let’s keep moving forward, one step at a time.

For more information about the Forum, check out Food Tank's event debrief.

The 2015 Urban Agriculture Symposium at UDC

Erin, Cassidy, and HC at the 2015 Urban Agriculture Symposium at the UDC

On Friday October 23rd, Erin, HC and I (Cassidy) traveled to the University of the District of Columbia for this year’s Urban Agriculture Symposium. We heard from a wide range of industry experts including United States Department of Agriculture economists, university professors, horticulturalists, farmers, business owners and organization directors about their experience in the world of urban agriculture.

Since our work at FRN focuses on food recovery and redistribution, we especially appreciated that the speakers emphasized the importance of each stage of the modern food chain. For instance, successful food production starts with healthy soil, and Dr. Sally Brown, a professor of soil science at the University of Washington, showcased municipal biosolids as a product that processes food and human waste (two end-results of food production) back into productive soil in a safe and environmentally conscious way. Another speaker, Maria Moreira of Flats Mentor Farm, discussed the opportunities her live-on farm provides for hundreds of immigrants from around the world. She said her farmers grow crops significant to their native cultures, successfully sell them at farmers markets and then take whatever is leftover home to feed their families and communities. This particular story reinforced our understanding that in the local food movement, everyone’s voice deserves to be heard and making way for multiple viewpoints typically leads to greater success than would have been achieved otherwise. The ability to grow those crops, which are hard to find in the U.S. but are undoubtedly important for cooking certain native recipes, empowers Maria’s farmers to bring their traditions into a new environment. 

This conference allowed us to branch out, meet new people and find ways to incorporate our work into a larger discussion about the implications of food production in the twenty-first century. Thanks to the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences at UDC for putting on such a wonderful event! We now feel inspired to discuss the importance of the bigger picture with our student leaders.

What does One Million Mean to You?

Co-founder Nick Murphy (center) assists in an early recovery.

In anticipation of our one millionth pound of food recovered, we asked our original founders one simple question: 

What does one million mean to you?

 

Lauren Behgam

"An incredible number of students taking action to build more sustainable and just communities."

Andrew Bresee

"1 million pounds means that FRN has really made a big impact on changing the culture surrounding food waste and hunger. Seeing the growth of 0 - million pounds and 1 - 150+ Chapters has been a really exciting indication of this cultural shift. 

However, with over a billion pounds of food being thrown away every year, these numbers also indicate that there is a lot more work to be done. I can not wait to see how FRN will continue to grow, impact  the US culture, and reach a billion pounds of food recovered!"

Ben Chesler

"One million pounds of food means we are well on our way to making a major dent in solving the food waste problem on college campuses, and in our country generally.  When we started FRN back in 2011, we had only a dream of what FRN would become and it's amazing to see how big it's grown.  Here's to many millions more pounds!"

Becca Kagan

"It's hard to even comprehend what 1 million pounds means. It was crazy to be part of creating something that grew like that. I've never seen or heard of an idea take off like that before. I think it speaks to just how powerful the idea is, and how simple, and how needed. I still remember the first time I heard about the concept of what would become FRN from Ben Chesler - he just said a single sentence, and I was sold. I told him immediately that I wanted to be involved. I think we could all see that there was so much power in this idea. 

It also always re-inspires me that there are hundreds of students around the country that decided to start up chapters of FRN and thousands that decided to volunteer at their school. It really goes to show that so many people want to make a difference, they just don't know how. They're waiting for the right idea to come along."

Nick Murphy

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the other FRN co-founders and proud to see our small experiment at four colleges grow to over 150 chapters that have cumulatively redirected one million pounds of food from rotting in landfills to nourishing people’s bodies. Living proof of Margaret Mead's  quote: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has’ 

Cam Pascual

"I remember being a freshman and feeling so small and disheartened about these huge, seemingly insurmountable global issues like hunger and climate change. I have no words to describe how inspiring it is, five years later, to see thousands of FRN students attacking these issues in a meaningful, powerful way. 1,000,000 pounds matter. 800,000 meals matter. Together, we're actually making a difference."

Ben Simon

"Founding FRN with such amazing people has been the highlight of my life so far. The most inspiring part for me has been seeing the thousands of college students rallying around this, starting chapters, going on epic recoveries and committing to be lifelong leaders for social good." 

Mia Zavalij

"When I first started working on FRN with my fellow co-founders, I had no idea that we would grow so quickly or that others would become so invested in the cause. We've been able to donate 1 million pounds in 4 years because we have thousands of student volunteers who care that good food is going to waste on their campus dining halls. They care that there are people in need in their communities. And they want to do something about it."

Their statements speak volumes about how far FRN has come in the past four years. A huge thanks to the work that all of our co-founders did and continue to do. Here's to the next million!

Announcing our One-Millionth Pound of Food Recovered!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Sara Gassman, Food Recovery Network, (914) ­355-­8824, sara.gassman@foodrecoverynetwork.org, www.foodrecoverynetwork.org

Students recover one million pounds of food for hungry Americans

COLLEGE PARK, Maryland, November 16, 2015 ­- Food Recovery Network has reached a major milestone in its short four-­year existence: the recovery of its one-­millionth pound of food. Since 2011, students at more than 160 colleges and universities across the country have worked with campus dining services and local restaurants to pick up surplus prepared food and deliver it to hunger-­fighting agencies in their communities.

FRN is the largest student movement against food waste and hunger at a time when 40% of all food is wasted and one in six Americans does not know where his or her next meal will come from.

Food Recovery Network began as a student club on the University of Maryland, College Park campus and, in partnership with food rescue groups at three other campuses, grew into a national student network. Currently, fourteen full-­time employees support student leaders one-­on­-one in building and growing their food recovery programs at no cost to the students.

"When I first started working on FRN with my fellow co-­founders, I had no idea that we would grow so quickly or that others would become so invested in the cause. We've been able to donate 1 million pounds in 4 years because we have thousands of student volunteers who care that good food is going to waste on their campus dining halls.” says Mia Zavalij, FRN co­founder and Director of Development. “hey care that there are people in need in their communities. And they are doing something about it."

Food Recovery Network has also certified more than 65 food businesses that donate their surplus prepared foods, including The Gates Foundation Dining and Best Buy Corporate Dining.

By May 2016, there will be FRN chapters on over 180 campuses that will have recovered more than 1.2 million pounds of food since 2011, putting higher education on track to be the first sector where food recovery is the norm and not the exception.

"I remember being a freshman and feeling so small and disheartened about these huge, seemingly insurmountable global issues like hunger and climate change. I have no words to describe how inspiring it is, years later, to see thousands of FRN students attacking these issues in a meaningful, powerful way. One million pounds matter. Eight hundred thousand meals matter. Together, we're actually making a difference." says Cam Pascual, FRN co­-founder and Director of Innovation.

On reaching this milestone, FRN Executive Director Regina Northouse remarks, "This one million pounds symbolizes so much for FRN. It's symbolic of the change our chapters want to see in the world, and their commitment to making that a reality: that good food should not be wasted, and that we can help those in our communities who need support. It's a simple solution to a fundamental belief we hold, and that belief will propel us forward as we recover the next million pounds."

About Food Recovery Network

Food Recovery Network unites and supports college students to fight food waste and hunger by recovering surplus food from their campuses and local restaurants that would otherwise go to waste and donating it to hungry Americans. FRN has 160+ chapters in 39 states. For more information about Food Recovery Network, visit www.foodrecoverynetwork.org. Follow us on Twitter @FoodRecovery and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FoodRecoveryNetwork.

To see original release, click here.

To see associated photos for use with release, click here.

Chapters get creative in their #GivingTuesday #FRNdzy fundraising

The #GivingTuesday #FRNdzy is well underway, and we've raised nearly $2,000 toward our $20,000 goal. Check out some of the awesome fundraisers our chapters are putting together!

• University of Illinois at Chicago: Screening the documentary Just Eat It
• Mercyhurst: Hosting a balloon event. (Each balloon will have prize written in it. People will buy balloons for a set price, pop them, and win a prize.)
• Drake: Raffling off a dozen cupcakes from an amazing local gourmet cupcakery
• University of New England: Partnering with a local coffee shop and grocery store
• University of Pittsburgh: Hosting an all-day bake sale in Posvar Hall
• Santa Clara University: Selling baskets of vegetables donated from a campus garden
• Susquehanna University: Hosting a food justice event including a presenter and a documentary screening
• Rhodes College: Partnering with a hunger and homelessness team, implementing Trayless Tuesdays and Weigh-In Wednesdays, hosting a Give Back Gala
• University of Minnesota at Twin Cities: Hosting a recovered food banquet or bake sale
• University of Maryland: Raffling off FRN swag to UMD students
• Christian Brothers University: Hosting a documentary viewing and then a discussion panel about food waste and how to raise awareness and combat the issue.

Are you planning an awesome #GivingTuesday #FRNdzy fundraiser? Let us know by tagging Food Recovery Network in your posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Support a chapter near you today.