Food Recovery Network includes more than 300 partner agencies.

These hunger-fighting nonprofits receive food donated through FRN chapters and serve it to community members, free of charge. As pillars of support for communities, as well as the backbones of FRN programs, hunger-fighting partners serve on the front lines of the fight to end hunger in the United States.

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act protects nonprofit organizations from liability when serving donated food. For this reason, FRN's hunger-fighting partner agencies meet the Bill Emerson Act's requirements for nonprofits: they operate for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, and do not provide net earnings to, or operate in any other manner that inures to the benefit of, any officer, employee, or shareholder of the entity.

About FRN's hunger-fighting partners

FRN’s hunger-fighting partners stretch far and wide throughout the country. They include a variety of models, clientele, and services.

ORGANIZATION TYPES

Food Bank, Food Pantry, On-Campus Food Pantry, Shelter, Soup Kitchen, Place of Worship, Community Center, After School Program, Senior Center, and more

Services Provided

Cooked Meals, Food Pantry, Shelter, Counseling Serives, Hygiene Services or Supplies, Substance Abuse Treatment/Rehabilitation Programs, Medical Care, Educational Programs for Youth, Adult Education/Job Training/Life Skills/Work Programs, Spiritual Support, Advocacy, Financial Assistance, Documentation Services, Support Groups, Referrals, and more

Populations Served

Homeless, Children/Youth, Elderly, Veterans, Unemployed/Underemployed, Former Inmates, Survivors of Abuse, Recent Immigrants/Refugees, Physically Disabled, Intellectually/Developmentally Disabled, Addicts, At-Risk Teens, Mentally Ill, Women, Men, Families, Food-Insecure Students on a College Campus, and more

resources for agencies in the network

FRN wants to support you by sharing your hunger-fighting stories with the network. If you have stories, photos, or testimonials about your work (especially your work with FRN), we’re always happy to share media on our blog and social media. Check out an example blog post that came from a submission here!

Interested in seeing the food numbers (pounds and food types) that your student chapter partner is reporting? To find them, access your chapter's listing and click the button "pounds to date."

Interested in joining the network?

First, please read our Frequently Asked Questions (below). Then check out our chapters page to see if there’s an FRN chapter near you! Feel free to contact student leaders with site-specific inquiries. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Hunger-Fighting Partners

What is Food Recovery Network?

Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a student-led movement against food waste and hunger in the United States. As a national network of college students, food businesses, and hunger-fighting nonprofits, we connect food-insecure communities with surplus food. The movement began at the University of Maryland in 2011, and in just five years we’ve grown into a national network of 230 chapters in 44 states that have donated more than 2 million pounds of food! Learn more about FRN’s model and impact here.

What are the benefits of joining Food Recovery Network?

There are many benefits to partnering with FRN, but the first and foremost is regular fresh food donations. Recovered food varies depending on the donor and the community; hunger-fighting partners and FRN student chapters should discuss the details of these exchanges together.

FRN’s nonprofit partners report positive experiences from being part of the network; for example, 81 percent of nonprofit partners report that recovered food from FRN introduces more variety to the food they provide, and 71 percent report that working with FRN saves money that their organization can use for other purposes. 

Beyond regular food donations, FRN chapters often hope to establish a sustainable relationship with service opportunities between their hunger-fighting partner and their student volunteers.

Lastly, joining the network connects you to a larger movement of people and organizations all around the country who care about fighting waste and feeding people!

What do I need to do as a member of Food Recovery Network?

As a hunger-fighting partner in Food Recovery Network, you must:

  1. Operate as a nonprofit organization, and agree not to charge money for recovered food. Under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act, which protects nonprofits from liability when serving donated food, nonprofits: operate for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, and do not provide net earnings to, or operate in any other manner that inures to the benefit of, any officer, employee, or shareholder of the entity.

  2. Have a refrigerator or a freezer to store recovered food

  3. Have the capacity to reheat food on-site

  4. Work with your local FRN chapter to determine logistics and sign the Partner Agency Agreement

FRN’s National office asks for your participation in collecting data and promotional materials to support our mission. Sharing photos and testimonials highlights the important work of hunger-fighting partners and spreads word about the Network’s impact. Completing our annual Partner Agency Survey improves the Network’s resource development and enables stronger reporting and storytelling about our impact.

As a hunger-fighting partner agency, what can I expect from our FRN student chapter?

You can expect donations on a regular basis, keeping in mind that the quantity and types of food may vary each week depending on who our donor is and what is available. FRN Chapters uphold food safety during the donation process. Many FRN chapters seek additional service opportunities and resource sharing to benefit their hunger-fighting partners, depending on their capacities.

As a hunger-fighting partner agency, what can I expect from FRN National?

At the FRN National office, we support the trifecta of student leaders, hunger-fighting nonprofits, and food donors. We encourage nonprofit leaders and student leaders to forge relationships that go deeper than food donation, through volunteering, event partnership, and resource sharing. Many FRN students and nonprofit partners collaborate by organizing community dinners, events, and supply drives. The opportunities are endless!

We also support hunger-fighting partners by sharing your stories. If you have hunger-fighting stories, photos, or testimonials about your work (especially your work with FRN), we’re always happy to share media on our blog and social media. If you post photos with FRN students, feel free to tag our account!

FRN National collects data about the successes, challenges, and impacts of food recovery through our annual Partner Agency Survey. By participating in this survey, you help advance understanding of food recovery so that programs and networks like ours can continue to expand.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

Please reach out if you have questions, concerns, or feedback. You can email programs@foodrecoverynetwork.org with any inquiries.