As food security rates rose throughout the COVID-19 pandemic soup kitchens, food banks, and other supplemental nutrition programs across the country were being utilized at increasingly high rates. Simultaneously, food waste has continued to plague the country, with grocery stores and restaurants throwing out thousands of pounds of edible food because of tricky regulations.
One national coalition that is working to solve both of these issues simultaneously is the Food Recovery Network (FRN). According to their website, “Food Recovery Network is the largest student-led movement fighting food waste and working to end hunger in America.” This past year, TCNJ student Yash Valia decided to bring a chapter of FRN to TCNJ’s campus, in partnership with Ewing ShopRite, the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), and the TCNJ Bonner Institute.
Once a week, TCNJ students and Bonner Scholars take a Bonner van to the Ewing ShopRite and pick up donations of food and water that would otherwise be thrown away. These items are then brought to TASK and either given to patrons directly, or used in cooking to create meals for the patrons.
In the 2020-2021 academic year, Freddie Hayeck, a junior Bonner Scholar recorded over 3,500 pounds of donated food and water from the TCNJ FRN. Interest in the campus effort continues to grow amongst students across the College, from Bonner Scholars to greek life, with over 60 members regularly participating in donation days.
To learn more about the TCNJ Food Recovery Network, follow them on instagram @TCNJFRN.