Food[at]Tufts

Food-related news and opportunities around the university

FOOD RESCUE

The TUFTS FOOD RESCUE COLLABORATIVE is a partnership between Tufts Dining, students, staff/faculty, and the non-profit organization Food For Free, to minimize food waste at Tufts while at the same time addressing food insecurity in local host communities. We act locally on and off campus to fight hunger and redirect surplus food. Read about our two branches below and our core principles and impact here.

Partners

  • Food for Free
  • Tufts Dining
  • Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) Food Rescue
  • Student leadership team, volunteer cohort, and individual student volunteers
  • Office for Campus Life (OCL)
  • Academic departments/programs:
    • Environmental Studies (including the Food Systems and Nutrition Minor)
    • Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life
    • Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

Dining Hall Food Rescue

Dining Hall Food Rescue consists of a cohort of undergraduate student volunteers who package meals from dining hall surplus every day of the week. The program works with Tufts Dining to reduce edible food waste on campus, and with Cambridge nonprofit Food For Free which redistributes the meals (dubbed “Heat-N-Eats”) to food-insecure residents of our community. The program currently operates with daily shifts at Dewick. Click here to learn more or get involved!

Off-Campus Food Rescue

LCS (Leonard Carmichael Society) Off-Campus Rescue is the branch of the Tufts Food Rescue that does weekly van pickups of food from supermarkets and drops the rescued food at six recipient organizations ranging from assisted living facilities to food pantries and crisis centers. Student and community volunteers sign up for weekly shifts and then pick up a Tufts van and complete the “run” which typically takes one to two hours from start to finish. Each rescue saves hundreds of pounds of food, including protein products like dairy and eggs, fresh produce, bread, and other surplus goods. We rescue from several markets in the Greater Boston Area including multiple locations of Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Find out more here about how to get involved.