Food insecurity has become a persistent challenge for community college students, forcing many to choose between buying groceries and covering other essential expenses. As colleges look for ways to remove those barriers to student success, a growing number are turning to food recovery programs that redirect surplus food to students in need.
One organization helping colleges expand those efforts is the Food Recovery Network (FRN), a national nonprofit that works with campuses to recover perishable food that would otherwise go to waste. Launched in 2024, its Community College Food Recovery Grant Program recently selected a third cohort of 24 community colleges across 15 states as grant recipients—up from five institutions in each of the program’s first two years.
The grants help colleges establish or expand food recovery programs by providing implementation guidance, financial support and technical assistance. Participating institutions partner with campus dining services and community organizations to recover from campus and local businesses surplus food that would otherwise be discarded, and distribute it to students experiencing food insecurity.
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