Successful transition to REUSABLE containers for food recovery

From the coffee cup at your favorite campus cafe shop to the takeout containers in the dining food court, single-use items are  all around us and used in our everyday lives.  But what if we could change that?  Many of us try our best by recycling the single-use containers we receive. In most cases, however, food takeout containers are not accepted by recycling centers, and when a single-use container is “contaminated” with food waste, it becomes unrecyclable. Black plastic (aka takeout containers) in particular is very difficult to recycle. I speak from experience as a past line worker at a recycling center. 

That is the kicker, though! Single-use items are just that, a one-time use kind of deal.

 We have all heard the phrase, “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” The first R has always been reduced because it's the most effective strategy in decreasing the amount of single-use plastics. Stopping single-use items at the source completely eliminates the environmental impact of creating and transporting plastic in the first place. Reduce is the most effective when you pair this with Source Reduction or Pollution Prevention (P2). 

How does this relate to food recovery? Well, many of our food recoveries rely on single-use plastics to safely transport surplus food from one place to another. Recovering surplus food is already an incredible way to help protect the planet, but transitioning to reusable containers can take that one step further. It's possible to get rid of single-use in your food recovery and dining halls as a whole with a little logistical planning and effort. We are here to help support and would love to chat logistics with you.

I strongly believe that nothing can change unless YOU ask for the change. When I was an advisor to the FRN chapter at Northern Arizona University (NAU), I proposed the idea of replacing the single-use take-out containers with stainless steel containers from USEFULL. NAU already had a reusable container system in place, but it was failing. The reusable container system that was implemented prior to USEFULL failed due to a one-for-one physical token system,  technology flaws, and lack of support. USEFULL’s team collaborated closely with dining services and the NAU technology team to ensure the success of the program.

I received many no’s before I finally got one yes. It took 2 years and a lot of relationship building and understanding of what each group needed to make this happen.  It was an easy yes for the green community on campus. But our dining provider wanted a formal plan with a detailed cost analysis, information on how this would affect operations, and what the long-term plans would be after the first year of the pilot. 

Collaboration played a key role in ensuring the success of the program. After many meetings, proposals, and conversations with the dining team alongside the NAU community at large through surveys, we were able to create a plan for the first year of the program. All key stakeholders helped support the program and ensured it was successful, from how it was run (operations) to how it was perceived. 

After all the planning, proposing, and securing a year of funding for the USEFULL project, Northern Arizona University (NAU) became the first university in Arizona to accept and embrace a fully mandatory reusable container system. After its first year: 

• NAU had 140,00 check-outs (at three dining locations)

• 10,000 users registered on the USEFULL app 

• 99.74% containers circulating since day one

• Expanded to three more locations in fall ‘25 and continues to expand 

None of this change would have happened if I had accepted the first no, but with the help of many capstone groups and the green community of NAU, we were able to make a difference. 

While I was asking for campus-wide change with the support of one group of NAU students, another group of students was also working on incorporating stainless steel reusable pans into their food recoveries. Led by Kiley Feld (the chapter president), effectively eliminating single-use aluminum in all food recoveries. Kiley worked with the NAU Greenfund to secure funding to supplement FRN funding to purchase 20 containers to get started. With detailed plans, collaboration, and breaking down operational barriers, we were both able to incorporate stainless steel containers into campus dining. 

There are many benefits to switching to reusable containers for your food recovery and in dining operations (if you don’t already have a system in place). 

Reusables can help your chapter: 

• Save money 

• Save space 

• Stack more food trays on top of each other, which can increase efficiency when transporting

• Improve food safety

Switching from business as usual to something unfamiliar can be daunting. Not sure where to start or how many you should purchase for your chapter? We are here for you! I would love to chat with your chapter about logistics, costs, and how to incorporate them into your food recoveries. One of our new chapters (North Carolina State University A&T) created this Excel sheet to help start your reusable food recovery journey. 

Although the cost to bring reusables into your food recovery can be higher, single-use food recovery comes with recurring costs of purchasing aluminum pans. Here are some questions to think about when setting us a food recovery with reusable stainless steel pans:

• Which location do you recover food from that would make the most sense to have stainless steel full and half-size pans? 

• All you care to eat locations and catering events usually produce servings in full and half-size pans.

• Who could wash the containers? Does your partner agency have the capacity to wash? 

• Can dining provide reusable pans they no longer need?

• Who will make sure the pans get picked up/brought back to the dining hall for the next recovery?

• How will you mark your pans?

• You can use a dermal tool (maintenance can help here) to engrave FRN into the pans.

• Colorful duct tape with your chapter’s name

• Have a specific marked location where you can store your reusables

My advice to any chapter that is looking to incorporate reusables into either your dining halls or food recovery is:

• Start with one dining hall and expand to more once you have a process in place.

• You never know until you ask, don’t give up on the first no!

• If it doesn’t work at one location, you should try another

• …who knows, stainless steel pans might be the best upgrade to your food recovery journey!

There is no one path on how to incorporate stainless steel or reusables into your dining operations, but you can’t make change without questioning business as usual. We are here to help support your chapter's journey into reusables.

Current FRN chapter utilizing reusables: 

• North Carolina State University A&T 

• Northern Arizona University 

• University of Mary Washington

• Georgetown College

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

If you are a chapter using reusable items or a chapter interested in moving away from single-use items, let us know!

Email programs@foodrecoverynetwork.org.

The end of Household Food Security Reports doesn’t mean we won’t rise to the occasion to stop our current rising hunger rates

Originally posted to foodrecoveryregina.substack.com

Hunger has been a persistent issue across all administrations throughout our history as a nation. We were all born into a world where food insecurity exists, and those rates are alarming in the United States. Throughout my time at Food Recovery Network (FRN), I have consistently met people who lacked sufficient food.  We have been working to end hunger for years. It's a policy decision to allow for hunger, and now it's a policy decision to deliberately not track the effects.

It is crushing news that the USDA will discontinue the regular collection of data to provide Household Food Security Reports; to be willfully uninformed. I assure you, FRN will continue to work alongside the communities most affected by hunger. Hunger is present in every single ZIP code; that’s a reality we all recognize.

Albert Einstein once wrote: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” The people in the United States who do not have consistent access to food should be counted; they matter.

FRN has a proven framework for identifying communities in need of food, and we will continue to utilize it to support these areas of most need by doing everything possible to feed people. We rely on data to understand the overall health of individuals in the United States. This data has historically helped us pinpoint communities where food assistance is necessary. By leveraging data to drive our impact in areas of greatest need and engaging with college students and local partners, we design and implement effective food recovery and food access programs tailored to each community.

Will removing household food insecurity data make things harder for FRN? Yes. But will we ever stop? Absolutely not.

Maya Angelou wrote, “Just like moons and like suns / With the certainty of tides, / Just like hopes springing high,/ Still I'll rise.” And together, we will continue to work to correct the indignity and injustice of hunger; we will rise.

We will continue to collaborate with peer organizations to access data to make informed decisions about providing communities in need with the food they deserve. Moreover, we have the voices of thousands of individuals across various communities in the U.S. — rural, urban, and suburban — relaying their experiences with hunger and inconsistent access to food. We hear daily from our partners that hunger is on the rise. We are proud to have college student chapters in over 200 higher education institutions, providing meals for thousands of individuals each day, and we hear from them, too. Young leaders at FRN have been very vocal: hunger should not exist in the U.S. and they are willing to do something about it.

Without an official accounting number of rising hunger, we will still hear from our partners. We have experienced extreme difficulties: recessions, inflation, high unemployment, a global pandemic, a recent federal budget that has cut food aid for people in the U.S., and now an attempt to not face the result of our ongoing policy decisions through data. At Food Recovery Network, our connection and commitment to our communities is unwavering in spite of this most recent decision.

We will continue to value lived experiences, which are vital to our partnerships. We will continue to fight hunger and food waste, expanding our footprint in the U.S. and strengthening our partnerships to achieve our mission. 

We rise / we rise / we rise.

This year, we are already collaborating with new companies and adding new events that have never had food recovery programs. They are joining us because they recognize their ability to give back in this very easy way, and they see how many people are hungry in their communities. It just makes sense to donate your surplus, precious food. Events like the recent One Bite Pizzafest in New York had never participated in food recovery efforts before. In total, thanks to a partnership with Medium Rare, the One Bite Pizzafest donated 1,914 pounds of perfectly good surplus food, including pizza, shredded mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour, and salt, from various vendors. All of that food was donated to a conglomerate of low-income housing facilities near the Bronx, managed by the NYC Housing Authority. Those individuals at that housing facility may no longer be counted with this most recent decision, but to FRN, they count.

FRN works to mitigate food waste and increase food access across the U.S., while also building grassroots support for food recovery initiatives. And we will continue to do just that. 

Data tells us people need food; our hearts tell us people deserve food.

One Bite Pizzafest in New York

Food Recovery Network Announces Community College Success: Welcoming Second Cohort of Grant Awardees and Expanding Community College Chapters

Washington, DC. September 12, 2025 — Food Recovery Network (FRN), a national leader in addressing food waste and hunger, proudly announces the successful launch of its second cohort of community college grant awardees. Following the impact of the first cohort, which demonstrated the vital role community colleges play in food recovery, this new group is on track  to divert even more surplus food to feed people faster. 

This year’s grant awardees are:

• Central Lakes College Brainerd, MN (second-time awardee)

• San Diego City College San Diego, CA

• Community College of Aurora, Aurora, CO (second-time awardee)

• Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA

• Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM

Over the past few years, FRN developed a data-driven approach to identify where higher education infrastructure can best be utilized to recover surplus food and assist individuals and families facing hunger. Our analysis indicates that two-year community colleges, not four-year universities, are often located in areas with significant food access and waste disparities. To effectively recover food where it’s needed most, FRN aims to expand its network by increasing community college food recovery programs nationwide. Additionally, we will enhance our offerings to better support the unique needs of community colleges.

“Community colleges are uniquely situated to implement effective food recovery programs that resonate within their communities,” said Regina Harmon, CEO at FRN. “We're excited to support these institutions as they leverage their local connections and student engagement to build sustainable food recovery practices.”

The inaugural cohort’s results were striking, with FRN’s increased financial and technical support, 100% of cohort members recovered food, and the median pounds recovered per community college partner was 2,500, slightly more than a chapter at a four-year institution. This means the five cohort members, who recovered a total of 189,556 pounds, supplied nearly 20% of all pounds recovered by our college-based chapters.

“Receiving the Food Recovery Network grant revealed a powerful and previously underutilized approach to addressing food security within the campus community. It gave the college the idea, framework, and funding to build a food recovery program from the ground up. What began as a new concept has quickly become a core part of CCA’s efforts to increase access to free food in a sustainable and community-centered way,” says Andrea Rascón, Project Coordinator within CCA's Office of Student Advocacy.

FRN is excited to announce the inclusion of nine new community college chapters into its national network, in addition to the grant awardees. These chapters will start engaging in student-led food recovery initiatives aimed at supplying surplus food to local hunger relief organizations, on-campus food pantries, and community fridges. Each chapter's efforts will focus on raising awareness, involving students, and building partnerships with local nonprofits, ultimately working towards creating stronger and more resilient communities.

• Lake Washington Institute of Technology: Kirkland, WA

• Edmonds College: Lynnwood, WA 

• Grays Harbor College: Aberdeen, WA

• San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE): San Diego, CA*

• South Puget Sound Community College: Olympia, WA

• Bronx Community College: Bronx, NY

• Renton Technical College: Renton, WA

• Bishop State Community College: Mobile, AL

• Montgomery County Community College Foundation: Blue Bell, PA *

*Indicates chapters joining after initial cohort participation. 

As FRN expands its reach, the organization remains committed to collaborating with strategically aligned organizations that share a dedication to minimizing food waste and promoting community well-being.

For more information about the Food Recovery Network and its initiatives, please visit foodrecoverynetwork.org.

Contact:

Sarah Abboreno Corbin, Director of Communications

sarah.corbin@foodrecoverynetwork.org

***

Food Recovery Network (FRN) is the largest student-led movement reducing food waste and ending hunger in the U.S. We unite 8,000+ college students, food suppliers, farmers, and local businesses across the U.S. in the fight against climate change and hunger by recovering surplus food from across the supply chain and donating it to local nonprofit organizations that feed people experiencing hunger.

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!!  

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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

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®