The average person wastes 4.3 pounds of food a day. Now multiply that by the number of students at Calvin. That’s about 12,900 pounds of food a day wasted by Calvin College students. Most are ignorant of this statistic, and that’s what the Food Recovery Network (FRN) is trying to change.

The FRN chapter at Calvin is part of a larger organization started in 2011 dedicated to reducing food waste and helping those in need. FRN has around 198 chapters in the United States with over 1.6 million pounds of food recovered.

“Our chapter’s mission is not only to address our food surplus in a way that helps the environment, feeds the hungry and fosters community, but also to raise awareness of the broader issues that surround our food system,” said sophomore Isabelle Selles, director of spreadsheets.

Calvin’s chapter of FRN was started in 2014 and has since recovered over 25,000 pounds of food. They are headed towards recovering 6,000 pounds of food this semester alone.

Volunteers gather five to six times a week to collect leftover food from Commons and Knollcrest dining halls and then deliver it to their partner organizations in the surrounding area. Their partners are Dégagé Ministries, Matthew’s House, SECOM Resource Center, Supper House and Safe Haven. “Each recovery gives us the opportunity to visit and engage with those we serve,” said Selles.

Recently, they’ve added Calvin Catering Services to their list of places to collect food: “On Friday afternoons we bring food from the Fridays at Calvin events to Dégagé Ministries,” said Selles.

In addition to collecting leftovers, FRN also organizes food related events. This semester they co-hosted Food Day with the Environmental Stewardship Coalition and Students for Compassionate Living. This upcoming semester they are planning a showing of the documentary “Just Eat It!,” a film by Peg Leg Films about the filmmakers who quit grocery shopping and survive just off of food that would otherwise be thrown away.

“We are always excited for new volunteers,” said Selles. “Since we recover five to six times a week, there are a variety of times and most people can a time that fits their schedule.” Volunteers do not have to sign up for the entire process, some sign up for just the recovery portion, some sign up just for the delivery portion.

Selles encourages students who wish to participate to email Brianna Busscher (bmb27) to be added to the mailing list and check out their Facebook page (Calvin College Food Recovery Network) as well as their Instagram (calvinfrn).