Ben Simon and Cara Mayo, Food Recovery Network and Food Recovery Certified

Ben Simon

Cara Mayo

Ben Simon, founder and director of the Food Recovery Network, and Cara Mayo, project manager for Food Recovery Certified are leading a movement that advocates for change in the way our country addresses the problem of hunger. Students, community members and businesses are uniting in this nationwide network by collecting surplus perishable food that would otherwise be thrown away, and donating it to community members in need. Food purveyors and restaurants with a seal of approval from Food Recovery Certified shine in their communities as examples of socially conscious and resource-smart business models. Since September of 2011, over 400,000 pounds of food have been recovered and reallocated to the 1/6 of Americans who are currently food insecure, and 46 businesses have been accredited by Food Recovery Certified. 

Ben Simon on LinkedIn

Cara Mayo on LinkedIn

Food Recovery Network on Facebook

Food Recovery Certified on Facebook

Tune into the interview with Ben and Cara, click through the corresponding slideshow below and watch the video showcasing the crucial work of Food Recovery Network and Food Recovery Certified...

The founding members of Food Recovery Network hard at work recovering food at the University of Maryland, College Park

FRN at the Food Waste and Hunger Summit

The FRN Chapter and dining hall staff members at Shippensburg University have committed to fighting waste and feeding people in the community.

Countless pounds of fresh and healthy sweet potatoes being recovered for people in need

Photo courtesy of the Society of Saint Andrew

FRN Leadership Team at the Food Waste and Hunger Summit

The UC Davis FRN Chapter prepares to go on a food recovery

Food businesses proudly display the Food Recovery Certified window sticker, showing their commitment to feeding people, not landfills.

The Bon Appetit staff at Saint Martin's University displays their Food Recovery Certified sticker on the window, showing their commitment to feeding community members in need. 

FRN Chapter member, Dylan Bondy, stands side by side with a member of his receiving nonprofit in support of food recovery.

Brown University's FRN Chapter recovers leftover produce from a local farm, a form of food recovery also known as "gleaning.

The FRN Chapter members at Grinnell College show their support for Food Recovery Network. 

An FRN Chapter member at Texas A&M sports an FRN tattoo, poised over food that will soon go to feed people in need.