NFRD Who's Who: Q&A with Gary Oppenheimer of AmpleHarvest.org

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.

Becoming a #foodrecoverynetwork Boss on the Internet

Think about how you got to this page. Maybe someone sent you an email, maybe you saw the link on Facebook, or maybe you check our blog every day. No matter which route you took, you’re here. On the Internet. Here at FRN National, we use the Internet a lot. It helps us spread the news about our work and connect with our students and supporters every day.

We're not the only ones who are using the Internet to help grow FRN. Some of our chapters are experts at social media, and they’ve agreed to share their knowledge with all their FRNds. Have you ever wondered how to rule the Internet? Then this webinar is for you! We’ll talk about how to organize your content and real-life impacts of the Internet.

If you’re interested in tuning in, you can bookmark this page or join the event on Facebook.

In the mean time, if you'd like to follow some stellar chapters on social media, check these six out:

1. University of North Carolina, Greensboro

2. Whittier College

3. California State University, Fresno

4. Pasadena City College

5. Illinois State University

6. Drake University

NFRD WHO's Who: Q&A With Claire Cummings of Bon APPÉTITE Management Company Foundation

This is the third 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. 

Student activist turned garbage guru, Claire Cummings is the first-ever Waste Programs Manager for Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the food service pioneer that operates more than 650-plus cafés in 33 states for universities, corporations, and museums. Claire has doubled Bon Appétit’s food-recovery programs, developed implementation guides for launching reusable to-go container initiatives, supported the development of a new kitchen-waste-tracking system, and helped launch Imperfectly Delicious Produce, a program that has rescued over 720,000 pounds of produce from going to waste. Claire is one of Food Tank’s 30 Women Under 30 Changing Food, she recently received Saveur’s “Activist” Good Taste Award, and her work has been featured in Bloomberg News, Sunset Magazine, and the New York Times. Claire’s passion for sustainable waste management began when she was a student dining at Bon Appétit's café at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, and continued in her first job with Bon Appétit, as West Coast Fellow. The company created the Waste Programs Manager position for her.

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

LS: The people, it is all about the people. I hope to leave feeling energized and inspired by all the amazing activism and good work being done to fight waste and feed people throughout the country. I can’t wait to connect with students and other speakers who are passionately and creatively addressing the issue of waste in their community.

FRN: Why are you passionate about food recovery?

LS: Because I refuse to settle with the status quo. The only food system I will accept is one that is just and sustainable for all and until that is a reality I am going to continue to fight for better.

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

LS: Doubling food recovery programs at Bon Appétit in the first year I started working in the field, and recently having helped craft our first company-wide commitment to regular food donation! If you are interested in learning more you should visit http://www.bamco.com/timeline/low-carbon-lifestyle/.

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

LS: Garlic - one time I bought 12 different varieties of garlic at once (I have the picture to prove it). I happened to be visiting this farm that specializes in garlic growing and got super excited to try all the unique varieties they had available so I got a couple of each variety (over 30 heads of garlic in total). I don’t know if I actually embody the spirit of garlic, I think I just really love garlic.

FRN: Okay, we're having too much fun here -- we've got one more question. If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be? 

LS: An apron, I like protecting my loved ones from messy situations.

Interested in learning more about Claire's work with the Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation? Register for the National Food Recovery Dialogue today and follow Claire on Twitter. 

Kids Say the Darndest Things: Inspiration from THIRD Graders

Danielle DiCristofano of University of Dayton's FRN chapter Skyping with a classroom of third graders at Sheridan Elementary in Dayton, Ohio.

Sometimes FRN takes you to unusual places, like the middle of a elementary school classroom via Skype. Danielle DiCristofano, leader of University of Dayton's FRN chapter, recently had the opportunity to share her story with a group of enthusiastic third graders at Sheridan Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio. Danielle shared her thoughts about the experience with us in the interview below. 

FRN: What did you tell the third graders?

DD: I told the kids about how I started the club and what each team member was responsible for in order for our operation to run smoothly. I also explained the process of what we did each week to get the food from our cafeteria to the food bank. 

FRN: What was your favorite question they asked?

DD: "How has this club affected your life?"  I never really thought about how this would affect myself because the goal of this operation is really to help others. It made me realize that this club has played a huge role in my decision to pick a focus of community nutrition and sustainability in my dietetics studies. This reminded me that a lot of our best learning and growing opportunities happen outside of the classroom!

Questions the students prepared to asked Daneille. 

FRN: How did you feel while talking to them? Inspired in any way?

DD: Talking to these kids reminded me how important it is to ask questions. As we grow older, we tend to feel silly when asking too many questions, but their curiosity sparked some great conversation and ideas that I had never thought of on my own! I was inspired to keep using my unique skills to help others in my own way because the students reminded me that being different can be used as a strength to make this world a better place. Overall, these kids reminded me to approach every situation with enthusiasm and curiosity!

FRN: Do you have any tips for people who are preparing to talk with kids?

DD: You really cannot prepare yourself for a conversation with a group of kids -- they're all wildcards! I would have some good inspirational advice ready for them. I noticed that the teachers really wanted me to inspire their students to find different ways to help others, so they really enjoyed any piece of advice I could offer.

Know a classroom of kids that could use some inspiration from an FRN student leader? Send us an email at info@foodrecoverynetwork.org, and we'll do our best to connect you!