1. What is Food Recovery Network (FRN)?
FRN is a student-run organization at CWRU (affiliated with the national FRN organization) whose primary goal is to fight food waste on campus while also addressing food insecurity in the surrounding Cleveland community. We recover unserved food from dining halls and retail food locations (such as Leutner, Tink, and Tomlinson), and then we donate the food to our community partners (including nearby churches and homeless shelters). We rely on a network of volunteers to recover and donate this food, so that is where YOU come in!
In addition to food recoveries, we also work to promote food waste prevention and sustainability initiatives on campus.
2. How can I get involved with FRN?
The best way to get involved with FRN is sign up for a volunteer shift (and hopefully become a regular volunteer)! Please see the next question for more information on the sign-up process. Additionally, you can attend our general body meetings, which are held every 3 weeks. At these meetings, you can help us plan events (such as sustainability and food waste awareness workshops), learn more about recoveries, talk with the exec, and meet fellow students to volunteer with.
Involvement with FRN is a great opportunity for CCEL Scholars, pre-health students, Greek life chapters, and any other students (undergrad. or graduate) who are passionate about food insecurity, nutrition, and sustainability issues. You may also sign your organization (such as a club or a Greek chapter) to volunteer regularly with FRN by "adopting" weekly shifts.
3. How do shifts work?
Please use our shift calendar (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YcsFIC-5ye6ZlxhzO7E0IIWkhFJ-z14c2SrgOXPDteE/edit#gid=195584474) to look at available dates and times. We have shifts available every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday. More information on the shifts is included on the first sheet of the calendar (such as where to meet, duration of the shift). Here is an overview of the kinds of shifts we offer:
- Leutner: you will package unserved food that the chefs give you, then transport it to the FRN fridge for storage. Offered every day of the week
- Tink and Tomlinson: you will pick up food from Tink/Tomlinson, then transport it to the FRN fridge in Leutner. Offered every Friday.
- St. Matthew's: you will pick up the food stored in the Leutner fridge and take it to St. Matthew's church (about 5 minutes away on Wade Park Ave.). Offered every other Saturday.
To sign up for a shift, type your name and CaseID into the Google Sheets. Before your shift, the volunteer leading the shift (an exec member or experienced volunteer) will reach out to you to confirm your meeting time and place.
4. Do I need to have any training to do a shift?
No, we do NOT require any formal training for shifts. We recommend signing up for a shift with an exec member (or another experienced volunteer) for your first time to "learn the ropes" – shifts with these experienced individuals will be highlighted in bright green on the shift calendar. But, once you have done a shift or two with an experienced volunteer, you are free to volunteer on your own!
5. Who can I contact for more information?
Please email frnexec@case.edu with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. In addition, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter using this link (http://eepurl.com/dI9iyP) – these emails contain regular updates about shift opportunities, general body meetings, and much more!
We are so excited for your involvement with FRN – thank you for helping us further our mission of fighting food waste and food insecurity on campus and in our community.