This is the fourth post in our NFRD Who's Who series, a collection of interviews with the fantastic leaders who will be speaking at the National Food Recovery Dialogue from April 2-4. Stay tuned – we'll be sharing more interviews as we count down to the NFRD.

Gary Oppenheimer, a CNN Hero, World Food Prize nominee, lecturer and speaker, is the founder of AmpleHarvest.org. AmpleHarvest.org connects home gardeners and growers with local food pantries, so that their excess fruits and vegetables don’t go to waste.

FRN: What are you looking forward to at the conference?

GO: Meeting the students, helping them understand how one person can make a difference, and hearing about the difference they want to make

FRN: Why are you passionate about food recovery?

GO: I hate waste.

FRN: What's your proudest accomplishment of your career?

GO: Founding AmpleHarvest.org — enabling 42 million Americans nationwide to reach into their backyard instead of their back pocket to help their neighbors in need.

FRN: Time for some fun. What's your spirit vegetable?

GO: Yardlong bean. Even though they don’t grow that long, it shows that in reality, size doesn’t matter.

Interested in learning more about Gary's work with AmpleHarvest.org? Register for the National Food Recovery Dialogue today and follow AmpleHarvest.org on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.