Two student organizations joined forces this fall in hopes that their synergized efforts will bring them closer to their goal of eradicating food waste and food insecurity on campus.
Despite remaining separate organizations, Students Against Food Insecurity and Tulane University’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network merged executive boards. President Emma Rose Hanaki and food recovery director Lauren Clinton have been working together on the two projects since the beginning of the year.
SAFI’s main function since 2022 has been to run a free food pantry, which officially opened in 2023 and is currently housed at the Church of the Holy Spirit on Broadway Street. Anyone with a Splash ID — Tulane students, faculty and staff — is welcome to visit the pantry once a week to take a few items from their extensive inventory.
Although SAFI asks visitors to limit how much they take, Hanaki emphasized the range of products the pantry offers, including fresh fruit, canned vegetables and shelf-stable protein options.
“We [also] carry shelf-stable milk, even things like ramen or different types of soups and we carry a lot of different snacks … spices and seasonings too,” Hanaki said.
Separately, FRN collaborates with the Malkin Sacks Commons to collect unserved food every Wednesday at 8 p.m. to donate to community partners, this year choosing New Orleans Mission to receive their collections.
This happens at the Maestro station on the second floor of the Commons rather than behind the scenes to “increase visibility of food waste and … get volunteers interested,” Clinton said. Although the work is unpaid, volunteers receive a free dinner in the Commons on collection days, a welcome incentive among changes to meal plans and for students living off campus.
Tulane’s chapter of FRN was founded in 2015 but took a short break after COVID-19. After getting back on their feet in the past years, one goal Clinton has for FRN is to make collections and distributions daily to further reduce food waste and increase the amount donated to those who need it.
Previously, SAFI was run partially on club funding from Tulane, but largely on other grants and donations. Because of this new partnership, the pantry can now take advantage of FRN’s established relationship with Tulane at a more institutional level.
Emily Slazer, Tulane Hospitality’s sustainability manager, who already worked closely with FRN, has recently begun collaborating with SAFI on the possibility of the Commons providing food to the pantry.
Slazer also began a sustainability internship program, bringing in passionate students to work with FRN and SAFI to learn about sustainability practices, to help run current projects and plan possible new initiatives.
Both programs are volunteer run, and receiving training for one allows you to volunteer for both, a benefit reaped of newfound mutual support. Along with Commons collections, students involved take shifts at the pantry and help restock shelves, and there are plans for social events to build community within the clubs.
Although they usually host one training session a semester, both programs are open to gaining more hands at any time. By giving students opportunities to participate in their initiatives, Clinton hopes to provide a space for students who are interested in the broader issues they address to gain skill and experience they can use outside of their own institution.
As two graduating seniors, Hanaki and Clinton are focusing on preserving and improving the programs for the future.
Looking forward, Hanaki hopes to establish a community fridge near campus to “have a resource of food available to the public, focusing on Tulane staff,” an audience she feels is underserved by the program that has a reputation of being only for students. She hopes it can be a site “where we can directly give back to people who we benefit from.”
Clinton hopes that FRN can integrate further into Tulane and increase the public-facing aspects of the organization. She also said she hopes to advocate for better food insecurity policy on a systemic level, continue community collaboration and increase the interaction between volunteers and those they serve.
By collaborating with each other, Tulane Hospitality and students passionate about sustainability, Clinton says that SAFI and FRN are working with the belief that “free food for everyone is possible and … we’re moving towards a just and equitable food supply chain.”