I had the honor of representing Food Recovery Network at two events on Capitol Hill last month. On Tuesday, July 12, WW, Bread for the World and FoodTank (on whose Board I proudly sit) hosted an all-day event to gain momentum behind the Food Donation Improvement Act. On Wednesday, July 13, I sat on a panel hosted by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic to discuss why it is critical for young people to be represented in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Food Recovery in action 

I am excited that FRN also showed our commitment to food recovery in action by setting up and conducting the food recovery for the first day of Hill events. FRN National team members Erin and Stephen safely packaged up the food from breakfast and lunch on July 12 and brought it to a local nonprofit that supports our DC neighbors experiencing homlessness. In total, we recovered 63 meals for the community. I reminded the Hill audience that if an event on the Hill can recover their food, we can all establish a food recovery program for our events, and FRN can help!

The critical connection FRN is making between food donation and why people are hungry

I also reminded everyone that as long as we focus our efforts solely on designing better food donation systems, we will design a system that centers food donation as the ultimate solution to hunger. We will unconsciously design a line of people waiting for and relying on donated food because they do not have the monetary resources to buy food.

We can no longer create or redesign systems that keep food donation separate from the underlying issues that cause hunger in the first place. And we must be very critical when we think about who we are centering when we create solutions to mitigate hunger. Forty-two million people are economically insecure because the set wages for which they work are not sufficient, though worker productivity continues to skyrocket; because they have astronomical medical debt and college debt; because no where in any US city can anyone work for minimum wage and pay to live in a 2-bedroom apartment even as more of their total income is going towards paying for housing; because when they suffer a health crisis, a mental health crisis or a significant life change such as welcoming a new baby or a family member to live with them, they cannot take sufficient rest before going back to work because they do not have paid leave or sick time.There are also many unforeseen and immediate reasons people need to rely on donated food: natural disasters; an influx of expenses such as a medical bill; house repairs; a new child; increased transportation costs within an already stretched income; a job loss or immobility; national inflation. 

Through our bedrock work of food recovery and data-driven approach, FRN is ready to safely package food and distribute it where it’s needed most. However, we also know that economic security is absolutely essential to ending hunger. Through our systems change work, FRN is working to ensure the economic security of those who are experiencing hunger so that they don’t need to rely on a food donation system to access the food they deserve. 

Through our systems change work, Food Recovery Network is asking a different, “upstream” question

Instead of asking how we can create a better food donation system, FRN is asking why so many people are so completely economically insecure that they need donated food in the first place. How can we help ensure economic stability so people can care for themselves and their families, secure housing, food, clothing, and education, and weather unforeseen storms that come up in life?

As part of our systems change work to help increase the economic security for the 42 million people experiencing food insecurity in the US, Food Recovery Network has lent our voice to support increasing the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. We are encouraged that more companies are choosing to do this. The minimum wage increase also directly impacts our FRN student leaders who work in hourly roles while attaining their degrees, and who take on hourly wage roles upon graduation. It is imperative to set everyone up for economic success at the minimum federal level.

Students are at the heart of creating loving and thriving communities

When I spoke at the Hill events, I asked everyone to think of someone they know who is in need: someone in our life who is having a hard time, who for whatever reason might be struggling. The person in our mind who is struggling might even be ourselves. I asked everyone to carry that person in their hearts and in their minds as they go about their day because we act differently and make different choices when at the forefront of our hearts and minds is to ease the suffering of someone we love, or to allow for self-care for ourselves when we can. 

FRN students center those in need every single day. Our student leaders know how to show up within the food system to recover precious surplus food, whether on their college campuses, on farm fields and at farmers markets, or at events. They understand the importance of building a food system where food is eaten and enjoyed, not thrown away. They understand how essential it is to build meaningful relationships in our communities and get to know one another, bond, and ease suffering. And, importantly, our students are taking action every day to improve lives. I recommend engaging with us at Food Recovery Network as a way to center your efforts and find inspiration, and to discover more ways to engage with improving the lives of your neighbors.

What I didn’t say on the Hill 

I told the Hill audiences on both days that the conversations we were all participating in are an offering and an invitation to become involved with FRN. And I invited every single person to be in touch with me directly. If you are reading this, I hope you are in touch with me and with FRN as well.

Just as important as what I did say, there is something very critical that I did not bring up. 

We cannot solely rely on volunteers to do this work. I say this as a chronic volunteer myself, and I say this with love and respect to those who are dedicated volunteers. The kind of structural redesign we are envisioning cannot rely solely on the passion and commitment of volunteers. We need to create fairly paid positions to support consistent food donation programs at the scale necessary to ensure 26 million tons of good food does not go to landfill from the commercial and industry food spaces.

Our student leaders across the U.S. volunteer because they are passionate about helping within their community. They want to learn in a hands-on, authentic way. They want to participate in efforts that have immediate impacts on the lives of their neighbors and on our planet. Importantly, our student leaders’ schedules allow them to recover and donate food right when the food is ready, which is often when other volunteers are at work or otherwise unavailable: 11:20am on Mondays after breakfast, 12:45pm on Tuesdays after lunch, 10:30pm on Friday nights after the sporting events stop serving food. Every car or van load of recovered food that our volunteers pack up is meaningful. When Erin and Stephen recovered 67 meals from the Hill, their efforts made a difference. Together, our 200+ chapters across the US are making a tremendous and impressive impact in their communities. 

At the same time, we know that larger scale food recoveries that require trucks and forklifts and refrigeration and staff coordination require compensation, and we need to get used to that now. For example, we created our Food Recovery Verified (FRV) program as a way to support businesses to create a recovery program for their corporate dining and events. We do not typically rely on our students to help with these efforts because they already have their recovery schedules established, and when we do ask for their help, we compensate them by paying a living wage.

I cannot tell you how often we’ve been approached to support a food recovery and when we discuss the cost to conduct it, companies tell us they assume the recoveries are done for free. Many companies choose not to have a recovery plan in place because they do not want to pay anything at all for the work of designing, coordinating and conducting the recovery. Thanks to support from organizations such as Groupon, National Association of REALTORS®, WW, and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, FRN can underwrite the cost of some of the recoveries our staff coordinates. But not all of them, and not always. We have a sliding scale cost calculator for companies so they can estimate how much it will cost for FRN to support their recovery efforts. The calculator takes into account our staff time that is set at a living wage. One goal of FRV is to help companies learn how to conduct their recoveries in-house so that they can incorporate food  recovery in their regular budget and operations. 

The 2023 Farm Bill that I spoke in support of can provide financial support to companies that are interested in starting food recovery programs. California and New York City have already begun the process to require food recovery from certain institutions and I know that companies are very unsure how to do that, where to start, and the impact that might have on their bottom line. Starting the food recovery and donation process with FRN can help companies save a lot of money in the long-run with a short-term investment up front.

What’s next?

There is so much more I’d love to share about my two days on the Hill, and I look forward to sharing more thoughts soon. In the meantime:

• Learn more about the Food Donation Improvement Act (FDIA) and how it expands upon the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Law.

• The FDIA is set to be voted on in September. FRN will provide resources to those interested in connecting with their state representatives to encourage them to support the FDIA and more food recovery policy initiatives. 

• Food Recovery Network will host our semi-annual Roundtable Talk conversation at the end of August, so be on the lookout for the invitation.

• To ensure FRN has the ability to attend such events, and to recover from such events, please consider making a tax deductible donation to Food Recovery Network today. 

• Learn more about the 2023 Farm Bill included in Congress, who is responsible for the Bill.