A Fall 2022 survey by Penn State’s Food and Housing Needs found that more than 14% of Penn State students, across all campuses, face food insecurity. Penn State’s (University Park) current Food Recovery Network was piloted a year ago to chip at our community’s food insecurity and promote sustainability through food. In that time over 6,000 pounds of food have been recovered.
Defining Food Insecurity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services defines food insecurity as a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. Food insecurity is multifaceted. It could refer to having steady access to food but a reduced quantity unfit for one’s needs. It could refer to not knowing when the next meal may come. It can also refer to eating meals that consistently demand affordability over nutrition. Or, for an individual, it can mean facing more than one of these situations.
The FRN Mission
As a direct quote from their website, the FRN, “Four times each week, the FRN collects and delivers unserved food from four campus dining halls, donating them to shelters, pantries, and other organizations in need.” Currently, they work with West, Pollock, East and North dining halls. They bring the meals to the community via their partners: the Lion’s Pantry (on-campus), Abba Java Coffeehouse, St. Andrew’s Community Cafe and Out of the Cold (all within walkable distance from campus).
A Year in The Life
The FRN began anew in the spring of 2023. A year in the life, VALLEY got to sit with three of the four co-founders (pictured above) and also executive members after an interactive and educational cooking night held by the FRN at Abba Java Coffeehouse.
Anna Janaszek (leftmost) and Addy Peat (rightmost) are both junior nutritional sciences majors. Addy is the president and dining relations coordinator. Anna is the event coordinator. Emmanuel Kraft (center) is the secretary and community relations coordinator. Not pictured, Jeff Shi is the treasurer and volunteer coordinator.
When asked about what dining halls they work with, they let on that they just had their first food run with North dining hall that day! Addy says, “We’re slowly getting all of the dining halls.” That’s a heads-up for South Dining.
Dining Hall’s Bifold Food Waste
They see food waste from the dining halls as bifold. There’s the untouched food or surplus. The dining halls make a lot of food because they don’t know how many people are coming. So, they don’t want to run out. This is what the FRN works with. Then, there’s the scraps. Janaszek says a lot of people overfill their plates, so a lot of the food then ends up in the compost pile.
The Start — Can’t Turn a Blind Eye
FRN began because of shared sentiments between the current executive team who wanted to deal with the amount of untouched pans of food thrown into compost at the dining halls and the simultaneous growing ask for donations by the Lion’s pantry and other huger-related causes. Peat shared her perspective saying, “I couldn’t help but notice the juxtaposition between the sustainability goals of Penn State with the current processes within facilities and the growing need in the State College community.”
The exec team found FRN as a national collegiate organization that could address the issues of their concern. To bring it to PSU, these college students had to be professionals when reaching out to other chapters for insight, finding advisors, convincing stakeholders for the club’s existence and approaching student dining with a step-by-step proposal that addressed food safety concerns.
Destigmatizing Food Insecurity
Peat mentioned how it can be hard for students or community members to express one’s food insecurity. This is because of the stigma of shame about one’s inability to provide a basic necessity to oneself. The FRN is working on reducing that stigma by working with welcoming partners. They shared how a student confided in the Abba Java staff that they relied on the FRN meals.
We talked about the varying levels of food insecurity whether one’s unsure of meals every day or once a week. The FRN wants to address it all. Simply put, Peat says, “If you’re hungry, then you should eat!”
Being a Stable Resource — A Web is Strong Than a Single Thread
The FRN is building its PSU network with the Lion’s Pantry and Student Farm to make available resources more known. For instance, we discussed the Lions pantry’s “cub pantries” which provide free food, like the main pantry, but in locations all over campus. During select months, The Student Farm Club has a “pay what you can” farmer’s market. This is an opportunity to access fresh, organic produce. Peat also mentioned Penn State’s Basic Needs Council.
Kratz said creating connections provides a more “holistic approach to helping students.” He brought up Penn State’s Students Against Poverty organization. They work to provide some of the other resources people may need like toiletries. Kratz emphasizes how this allows individuals to redirect time and energy toward their education and careers.
Ways to Reduce Your Food Waste
For those who eat at the dining halls, try initially serving yourself less than you think you need. There’s no harm in going back for seconds. For those who cook or live off campus, Janaszek suggested meal prepping and freezing your meals. She said, “Using your freezer is great because meals don’t always last that many days in the fridge… It tastes just as good. “
FRN Invovlement Looks Like …
“The recoveries are the main way to get involved, but we also have fun events like cooking nights and just our general body meetings,” Janaszek says.
The recoveries involve visiting all dining halls and taking the single-serve meals (packaged by the dining hall’s staff) to drop off at the locations of the receiving parties. Jaznek says to get involved with your friends!
During the FRN cooking night, they used ingredients recovered from the student farm which “exposed students to cooking new foods,” Peat. Foods that are fresh and local, but also not always pretty enough to be sold. Yet “we’re still able to repurpose it in a way that’s delicious, ” Peat.
Janaszek said they reminded attending FRN members in their GroupMe to bring Tupperware for leftovers. After that, all the extra food then stayed at Abba Java. “Hopefully students will see that tomorrow, and be able to have a nice, healthy lunch,” Peat.
Links to Mentioned Resources
Basic Needs Collaborative Council
Students United Against Poverty
PSU’s Student Affairs Food Support and Basic Needs
The Future of FRN
The future of FRN looks like increasing volunteer engagement, having more fun, increasing donating parties and picking up more community partnerships and populations of need. To be a part of it, start with their Instagram @frnpennstate.
What are your thoughts on PSU’s food insecurity and food waste? Let VALLEY know @VALLEYmag on Instagram!
