“Ignoring your passion is slow suicide. Never ignore what your heart pumps for.” -Kevin Claiborne.

There have been many experiences this year that have made my heart pump, even amid a global pandemic. My work with the Food Recovery Network (FRN) chapter of Kansas State University and my Global Food Challenge internship with Land O’Lakes are two significant examples!

As a part of FRN, I’ve always loved the opportunity to serve my community while working with my peers who are as passionate as I am about food security. Typically, our FRN chapter would recover food from the athletic dining hall on campus and safely deliver the leftovers to Common Table, an organization who hosts community meals every weeknight. When things began shutting down in March 2020, we realized our operation handling food was also going to have to pause and adjust. Over the school year, we stayed active and hopeful as we worked to reconnect with our partners and continue advocating for food security on our campus and in our community. I was able to build new relationships that were helpful when our FRN chapter recovered over 700 pounds of food in one week from students as they moved from the dorms. As an FRN volunteer and leader, I’ve realized my passion for food security, grown my networking skills, met so many new and interesting people, and directly worked to educate and serve my community!

FRN has also instilled in me the courage and passion to search bigger – to find more ways I can learn and make a difference. It led me to Land O’Lakes and the Global Food Challenge internship per the recommendation of an FRN peer. I’d shared my hopes to reach more people and broaden my perspective, and he said the GFC internship would be the perfect fit. This was absolutely right – my summer internship with Land O’Lakes has been a cross-functional experience with diverse exposure of learning and leadership development as I connect with students and leaders across the nation who are working to create a better world. Through this internship, I participated in the Congressional Hunger Center’s Zero Hunger Summer Seminar Series and met with passionate people of diverse backgrounds who all bring different perspectives to the conversation. We also traveled to Indiana to learn about the variety of agriculture in the Midwest and strength of the cooperative system. Furthermore, my team’s projects with Venture37, an affiliated international development nonprofit, have opened my mind to a broader understanding of food systems around the world.  

This fall, I return to K-State to begin my third year as an Agricultural Technology Management and Global Food Systems Leadership student. My Global Food Challenge internship will end in August, but I’ll be intentional to stay in contact with my new connections throughout the school year and beyond. Through these experiences, I know how prevalent food insecurity is, even in my own community, and I’ll keep working with my peers to make a difference. I’m excited to lead as president of FRN at K-State because I know I will have the opportunity to make a difference and directly help my community! 

You can make an impact on food security too through FRN! I encourage you to attend our upcoming webinars that will feature current chapter leaders (like me!) to give you the inside scoop of what it’s like being a part of the network and starting a new a chapter. Check out the first informational session on Instagram Live here, and stay tuned for the next one in late September. Sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly your heart is pumping for, but when you find those moments that give you goosebumps and get you excited, make note of it, and keep chasing your passions!