Recently published news and opinions from Food Recovery Network
Top 11 of the YEAR
Our Program Year (FY25) ended just 6 weeks ago. It was a fun-filled year of progress and impact, and we have you to thank for it! We’ve compiled some of our favorite highlights from the past year.
Central Lakes College in Brainerd MN, was part of our first cohort of Community Colleges. They recovered an impressive 183,000 pounds last year!
This year’s Bowl to Bracket BONUS Square winner, St. Louis University (SLU), completed 20+ recoveries during the event, amounting to 30,000 lbs. of surplus food saved from landfills.
Coincidentally - SLU also had the MOST VOLUNTEERS of any chapter with over 350 participants!
Check out that FRN spirit!! Thanks to University of Mary Washington for submitting this winning gem during our Annual Fall Photo Contest.
FRN hosts pop-up farmers markets at Title 1 Elementary Schools across Baltimore, MD, and St. Paul, MN, to provide surplus produce, purchased from local farmers and distributors, for free to feed children and families. And we think the photos are fantastic.
This is Kimmy from our team, handing out fresh peppers and tomatoes in Baltimore last Fall!
Thanks to St. Olaf University, Macalester University, and the University of Minnesota Twin Cities FRN chapter members for helping make our produce markets in Ramsey & Washington Counties such a success.
We are thrilled to announce that we hosted more produce markets than in any previous year, 52, clocking in at an average of one produce market per week.
Food Recovery Verified (FRV) Successes
We are excited to highlight some special achievements from our Food Recovery Verified (FRV) program, which mobilizes our national network to recover surplus food from businesses and events across the U.S.
9 students from University of Maryland, College Park helped recover 290 lbs. of food from the stadium on their campus last fall during a Big 10 football game
We collected an impressive 12,348 pounds of food from the combined Super Bowl tailgate parties in February. It was a SUPER recovery benefitting the New Orleans community!
Seattle University reported nearly 70,000 pounds of food donated for FY25. Outstanding!
And wrapping up our TOP 11 is one of our favorite community fridges. From Georgia Tech:
“After one of our shifts, we donated our packaged meals to a community fridge on campus called Klemis Kitchen. Klemis Kitchen is a 24/7 community fridge that provides free meals to students and community members.”
Check out how full that fridge is!!
Be sure to keep in touch. Over the coming months, we will be sending an invitation to our Annual Roundtable and releasing our Annual Report. Mark FRN email communications as important so you won’t miss future announcements.
Follow us on social media for up-to-the-minute impact!
Celebrating a Milestone
Food Recovery Network’s Board of Directors is excited to announce a momentous occasion within our organization: the 10-year anniversary of Regina Harmon's transformative leadership at Food Rescue Network (FRN). As we celebrate this milestone, we also recognize Regina’s promotion and title change to Chief Executive Officer, a testament to her unwavering commitment and the remarkable growth of our organization under her guidance, tripling our budget in just 10 years.
Dear Supporters,
Food Recovery Network’s Board of Directors is excited to announce a momentous occasion within our organization: the 10-year anniversary of Regina Harmon's transformative leadership at Food Recovery Network (FRN). As we celebrate this milestone, we also recognize Regina’s promotion and title change to Chief Executive Officer, a testament to her unwavering commitment and the remarkable growth of our organization under her guidance, tripling our budget in just 10 years.
Since August of 2015, Regina has not only envisioned a better future but has also been the driving force behind FRN's national leadership in the struggle against food waste and hunger. To date, FRN has recovered 23.8 million pounds of surplus, delicious food, equivalent to nearly 20 million meals. In addition, FRN’s efforts have become inextricably linked to mitigating climate change—our work has prevented 7,963.57 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from entering the atmosphere. Through her leadership and innovative strategies, FRN is currently the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food and ending hunger in the U.S.
FRN has greatly benefited from Regina’s tenacity, experience, and expertise. Her commitment to collaboration, advocacy, and racial equity has been essential for bringing about meaningful food systems change.
We look forward to how Regina Harmon, CEO, will continue to guide FRN into the future, inspiring individuals and organizations to join our movement to feed more people faster while reducing food waste.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jessica Lautz, Board President
Deputy Chief Economist and Vice President of Research, National Association of REALTORS®
Food Recovery Network Hosts Free Pop-Up Produce Markets for Baltimore School Families
Food Recovery Network (FRN) distributes free fresh produce that would have otherwise gone to waste to feed children and families experiencing food insecurity in Baltimore through pop-up farmers markets at Title I elementary schools.
FRN Team Distributing Produce in Baltimore, MD (2024)
Baltimore, MD Food Recovery Network (FRN) distributes free fresh produce that would have otherwise gone to waste to feed children and families experiencing food insecurity in Baltimore through pop-up farmers markets at Title I elementary schools.
This program aims to recover and redistribute surplus produce to increase fresh food access for children and families, mitigate would-be food waste, and direct more human and financial capital back into the local community. Through FRN’s data-driven approach, Baltimore was identified as a key area where there is both a high need and opportunity for their produce distribution program.
“We are experts at recovering perfectly good food from all parts of the food system, and we are thrilled to be in community with Baltimore to increase food access. Everyone deserves food and when we recover perfectly good food, we keep the value of that food, and in partnership, we commit to growing dignity for everyone,” says Regina Harmon, Chief Executive Officer, FRN.
FRN Team Distributing Produce in Baltimore, MD (2024)
FRN collaborates with a variety of Baltimore stakeholders and partners, including Baltimore County Public Schools, to achieve their shared goals of increased food access. These partners inform the design and implementation of their programs, ensuring efforts are relevant to the needs and capacities of the community. Additional partners include Hungry Harvest and CASA. FRN relies on the support of FRN student-led chapters at Towson University, Goucher College, Stevenson College, and St. John’s College, which provide college student volunteers.
Since July 2024, FRN has hosted 16 pop-up produce markets across 2 Title 1 schools in Baltimore, Lakeland Elementary/Middle School and Fort Worthington Elementary/Middle School. Through these markets, FRN distributed 14,850 lbs of surplus produce from community farms to 1,230 families in the Baltimore area.
FRN Team Distributing Produce in Baltimore, MD (2024)
Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes 8,000 college students, food providers, and local businesses in the fight against climate change and hunger by recovering perishable food across the supply chain that would otherwise go to waste and donating it to organizations that feed people experiencing hunger. As the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food and ending hunger, FRN’s programs are on nearly 200 college campuses and 100 food businesses in 46 states and D.C., and they have recovered more than 22.9 million pounds of food to date – the equivalent of 19 million meals donated to feed individuals experiencing hunger and 7419.5 metric tons of CO2e prevented from entering our atmosphere.
FRN's Summer Chapter Showcase
As the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food in the U.S., chapters are the lifeblood of FRN. We took the opportunity this summer to launch the Summer Chapter Showcase, spotlighting 12 amazing chapters for their tireless efforts.
Student chapters make our mission possible. As the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food in the U.S., chapters are the lifeblood of FRN. We took the opportunity this summer to launch the Summer Chapter Showcase, spotlighting 12 amazing chapters for their tireless efforts.
We kicked off the showcase with a spotlight on Montclair State University. Since their inception in 2017, this chapter has recovered more than 16,000 lbs of surplus food from campus dining facilities. "We donated over 1,400 meals to our on-campus food pantry - and provided over 190 hours in volunteer work," reflects chapter leader Nikki Cocuzza at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. Alongside recovering food, this chapter organizes and advocates around issues related to food waste, hunger, and sustainability, and frequently volunteers with their partner agency.
Montclair State University, 2024
Rounding out the showcase is one of FRN’s newest student chapters at Keene State College. This chapter not only recovers food but also donates it to organizations on campus, alongside engaging in advocacy around issues related to food waste, hunger, and sustainability. "We just started recovering this semester, but we are getting better and growing the program on our campus," shares chapter leader Lena Goins.
Keene State College, 2024
Faculty Chapter Advisors - Back to School Guide
We’re putting all of the important dates, forms, and a helpful resource link here, all in one place, so you can bookmark it and reference it at any point in the year.
We hope you had an amazing summer, and we can't wait to kick off a new school year supporting student leaders on your campus as they continue to fight climate change and hunger.
At FRN, we recognize the pivotal role that you, FRN Chapter Advisors, play as mentors and advocates to the students in our network. This year, we are delighted to keep you informed about the work we’re doing at FRN National, the opportunities we’re sharing with student leaders, and more!
We’re putting all of the important dates, forms, and a helpful resource link here, all in one place, so you can bookmark it and reference it at any point in the year.
Official Chapter Agreement (09/30)
Photo Contest (10/01)
Fall End of Semester Survey (12/17)
Bowl to Bracket Bingo (02/09/2026 - 03/31/2026)
Earth Month Webinar (04/06/2026)
Spring End of Semester Survey (05/15/2026)
Leadership Team Form (05/15/2026)
Official Chapter Agreement (required): Review and sign by September 30th. Only one chapter member needs to submit.
Grant Application: Your chapter has received $300 of funding from FRN National to use this academic year! Request supplies and reimbursements using this form.
Care Package: Fill out this form to receive a care package from FRN. Please note there is only one care package per chapter.
Food Tracking Forms: Report the number of pounds of food you’ve recovered throughout the semester. You can input your data after each recovery, weekly, biweekly, monthly, or once at the end of each semester.
Student Resources: Check out our website for resources and guides for building and maintaining a robust chapter.
Leadership Team Changes: Please fill out any time you have a change in executive board.
Volunteer Information: This allows FRN National to update our record of students in our network. Let us know who volunteers with your chapter!
If you’d prefer to talk with FRN staff one on one about your chapter’s goals and how we can support you this fall, please schedule a call with us here. We’d love to hear from you.
Thank you so much for your investment in our mission and for helping FRN student chapters fight food waste and feed people in your community. We would not be able to do this important work without you, and we look forward to staying in touch!