The Food Recovery Network at St. Thomas joined the fight to end hunger in November by saving unserved food from The View and donating it to the Dorothy Day Center.

The network began at St. Thomas in late fall when Rebecca Heinemann, manager at The View, and Angela Hasouris, Dining Services project manager, approached senior Kirsten Hunt about starting a St. Thomas-based FRN initiative.

“We were approached by a group called Hunger Free Minnesota and that told us about the Food Recovery Network. Some other schools in the area like Macalester were already participating, and we wanted some more people in the area,” Heinemann said. “We knew (Hunt) was good for the job. She had expressed interest in sustainability issues.”

Hunt said she is passionate about fighting the food waste she sees on campus.

“I see it every day in The View. It’s my fourth year working there. I’m excited to see how much food we can give to the hungry,” Hunt said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about one in 10 Minnesota households don’t have access to enough food for healthy living.

Hunt said the organization’s strategy for fighting hunger is very simple. Every day, The View prepares food in the kitchens that is never served to students. This food used to be thrown away, but with FRN, it’s re-packaged, loaded into a car and driven to the Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul.

“We had one run as large as 400 pounds and (another) as small as maybe 40 pounds,” Hunt said. “On average, it seems like we’ve donated between 100 and 200 pounds of food each time we go, which is about twice a week.”

Since the first food recovery on Nov. 2, the organization has donated a total of 2,620 pounds of food to the Dorothy Day Center – enough for three healthy meals for more than 700 people. So far this semester, the group has had three food recoveries.

Hunt said the FRN at St. Thomas, currently a Dining Services initiative, is working to become an official club at the university.

Some students, such as junior Adam Gilliam, are getting involved in the FRN leadership team.

“I think the big thing is recognizing that hunger exists in our community. We may not see it directly, but many Minnesota families have a hard time finding meals,” Gilliam said.

It isn’t just helping others, however, that has people excited about the organization.

“I see so much food waste every day,” Alex Marsh, an employee at The View, said. “The concept of a buffet can get students to take too much food. This makes everything seem much less wasteful.”

Whitney Oachs can be reached at oach5325@stthomas.edu.