Food Recovery Network

Whenever I hear statistics on our country’s food waste, I’m dumbfounded. Did you know that in the U.S. 40 percent of food goes to waste? That one in six people in our country don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
Well, there is an organization that is spreading across college campuses that takes campus cafeteria food left overs and coordinates with area shelters and food agencies. The Food Recovery Network is on more than 95 colleges in 26 states and have recovered more than 420,000 pounds of food.
Sara Gassman is the Director of Member Support and Communications at Food Recovery Network. At this time, there are no chapters at any Idaho, Oregon or Washington colleges or universities. Gassman encourages students as they return to their campuses in the next month or so to consider making a difference.
Gassman: “If you are a student that is at a campus with any sort of dining hall, and you are interested in finding out more about preventing food waste and hungry go to our website www.foodrecoverynetwork.org and click “Get involved” there is a short application. We’ll be in touch and we will work with you one on one to get this program going.”
She adds that in addition to preventing food waste and helping those in need, students who are involved also benefit.
Gassman: “To be able to help stop food waste on your campus and to help hungry people in your community, it is really awesome experience and at the same time they are learning valuable leadership skills.”