Community Spotlight: Smith College Food Rescue Network
Meet our September 2024 Community Spotlight organization, Smith College Food Rescue Network. Their goal is to redistribute excess prepared food from Smith College to community members experiencing food insecurity. They collect data for every pan of food they donate and share this information with Smith Dining Services, allowing Dining Services to make decisions about more sustainable ordering practices. Student volunteers rescue food every day across campus to reduce food waste, alleviate CO2 emissions of discarded and composted food, and to strengthen food access with FRN’s partner, Manna Community Kitchen.
The Smith College Food Rescue Network (FRN) was founded in February 2022 by Smith alumna Shastia Azulay. As a student employee in the catering department, Shastia was moved to organize a system of volunteers and actions that would put the excess food to good use. Two years later, FRN has redistributed over 30,000 pounds of prepared food back to the community through Manna Community Kitchen.
How would you describe the impact of your work, and what do you hope to achieve in the coming years?
FRN aims to reduce food waste, bolster environmental and food justice, and increase education around these issues. Our educational impact grew in the '23-'24 school year through a Critical Design Thinking collaboration which connected students with Smith Dining staff and FRN volunteers; through year-long research projects about gleaning, centralized dining, and the history of food waste; and through screenings of a Food Rescue Hero Conference and The Gleaners and I.
Over the next few years, we're aiming to further institutionalize food rescue and sustainable dining systems at Smith College. To do this, we are hoping to fundraise for a designated vehicle or utility cart to make food rescues across campus easier, a community fridge on campus, and to recruit more delivery driver volunteers for Manna Community Kitchen, so they can serve more people in the community. We're also aiming to integrate the coordination of FRN into a permanent staff role at the college to ensure our program continues to grow.
Over the coming years, we're most excited about strengthening the sustainability of our organization and spreading awareness and practical tips for anyone aiming to reduce food waste and share resources around the community within and beyond Smith College.
What is one simple thing an individual can start doing that could make a difference?
The best way to reduce food waste, according to the EPA, is to produce, buy, and serve only what is needed. One call to action is to analyze your own food buying and wasting habits, whether you're a business owner, home cook, college student, or anywhere else in life, to learn where you can be more sustainable. Learn more about the issues and what you can do here.
We highly encourage folks to volunteer at Manna Community Kitchen, either in their kitchen or to support the distribution of our food through home delivery driving shifts. They serve so many meals every day to people facing food insecurity and provide essential services like laundry, showers, and cooling and warming centers. Taking a few hours out of a week to volunteer can make a big difference and broaden perspectives on food and housing insecurity around the Valley.
