For the past three years, I’ve worked to expand Food Recovery Network’s Food Recovery Verified program, which provides tailored support and recognition to food businesses and event planners that seek to donate their surplus food. During this time, I’ve taken calls with hundreds of people to help them establish food recovery programs, and I am not even close to being tired of this work. Why is that? It’s because I know the potential impact that even one food recovery program can have on other people and the planet. Read on to learn about two amazing food recovery programs that are really making a difference.
FRV Events
In 2019, Bob Goldberg, CEO of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), made food recovery a priority at all NAR events and for their member association’s events. This set into motion a dynamic partnership between NAR and FRN that is changing the way event planners, culinary professionals, and attendees think about food service at events and how they can make a difference.
Over the past two years, I have worked with NAR’s team of passionate, caring event planners to establish food recovery programs at 18 different events, 15 of which led to food recovery. During this time, NAR event planners have become incredible advocates for food recovery and donation. While working to establish food recovery plans they’ve faced situations where there’s a lack of interest or fear of liability from the venues they work with, making food recovery difficult. However, their determination to do the right thing with their surplus food has prompted meaningful conversations about food donation which probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
To date, NAR has diverted from landfills and donated 1,608 pounds of surplus food through this program, which equates to 1,340 meals for community members in cities across the country. Their team is still pushing to make food recovery the norm, and we continue to support their efforts.
FRV Businesses
Indiana State University (ISU) joined the Food Recovery Verified (FRV) community in 2017 and is still actively donating surplus food today. For the past four years, ISU has maintained a direct partnership with Catholic Charities in Terre Haute, a local nonprofit organization that serves vulnerable community members, to donate their surplus food, even through the pandemic.
In Terre Haute, IN the food insecurity rate is 16.1%, which is 6% higher than the national average. Since becoming Verified, ISU has donated 4,085 pounds of surplus food, which converts to 3,404 meals for the people served by Catholic Charities in Terre Haute.
Additionally, by having a food recovery program in place, ISU prevented a significant amount of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking five cars off the road. Over time, food recovery programs like this one can substantially reduce the impact that food-producing businesses have on the environment.
ISU’s partnership with Catholic Charities in Terre Haute and their leadership to reduce food waste demonstrates how one food recovery program can create a ripple effect of benefit that extends throughout the community.
Start Recovering!
Recovering and donating surplus food is a highly impactful solution to reducing food waste, and it’s in the best interest of businesses to explore this as an option to manage surplus. Thankfully, our team at Food Recovery Network is here to offer help and support!
Ready to get started? Schedule a call with our team or email us at foodrecoveryverified@foodrecoverynetwork.org, and be sure to visit our website to learn more about the Food Recovery Verified program.
