Food Recovery Network is working to build its first-ever alumni network to offer resources and connection opportunities to FRN alumni hoping to stay engaged in food recovery efforts beyond graduation. As part of this, we will be showcasing an exceptional FRN alumnus each month who exemplifies leadership, teamwork, and community engagement in our Alumni Spotlight series.

Our first featured alumnus is Kelsey Rogers, a 2017 graduate of Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Kelsey founded the RWU FRN chapter in April 2014, and recalls her favorite FRN memory as bonding with her team as they drove to shelters to deliver food during the team’s early days as a Chapter In Progress (CHIP). She says, “It was nights like these that I can look back on fondly and see just how far I’ve come.” Since then, RWU FRN has recovered more than 21,000 pounds of food and has fostered countless meaningful relationships on the campus and beyond. As the chapter president, Kelsey worked to expand her chapter’s capacity through attending a series of food waste events. During these events, she connected with like-minded individuals with whom she would start Phood, a food waste tracking company.

Phood is a commercial food waste prevention company that works with more than twenty institutions nationwide to reduce waste, find donation solutions, and engage communities in food recovery. Kelsey is the Food Recovery Specialist at Phood, where she develops software to make food recovery easier for clients. She also serves as the lead graphic designer, designing the look of their different tablet platforms, making marketing materials and designing the Phood website. Check out Kelsey’s graphic design page for more information here.

“Through FRN,” she says, “I was able to realize my passion for fighting food waste and hunger. Since then, my passion has guided every decision I make. FRN has given me the confidence to pursue my dream job, and the leadership experience to get there.”

Congratulations and thank you, Kelsey, for all you have done to fight waste and feed people in college and beyond!

Are you an FRN alumnus? If so, we want to stay in touch! Fill out the Alumni Survey on our website here.  You just might be featured in our upcoming spotlight series!

Have questions/comments about our growing alumni network? Contact Sarah Diamond, Alumni Programs VISTA, at alumni@foodrecoverynetwork.org.