TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A group of students at the University of Toledo is making sure families in the area have a hot meal on the table.
It's all part of the food recovery network, the largest student movement to fight waste and feed people in need. UT Senior Krisha Conley spearheads the program on her campus.
"The food we are giving to other people has not been touched. We're not digging out of trash. What's been thrown away stays there, but there is an over preparation of food occasionally," said Conley.
At UT, the program started in the fall of 2015. Since then, the group has donated more than 6,500 pounds of food to people in need in Toledo.
"The partnership we've had with UT has been going on a long time even before they started this program," said Tammy Holder, CEO of Leading Families Home. The non-profit Beach House Family Shelter is under that organization's umbrella and has been receiving food from the students to help families housed there.
"I think last year we served a little over 15,200 meals and we spent $640, and it's because of these types of partnerships that we're able to keep costs low," said Holder.
The food recovery network has 230 chapters across the US. More than two million pounds of food have been distributed to people in need since 2011.
"A lot of the food is already prepared and cooked, but we do have a lot of salad bar items, so they can build their own salads or they can use it for a taco night," said Conley.
In addition to non profits, students also go to Panera Bread to collect food and give to the community. Every Thursday night the students go there and take it to Saint Paul's community center in Toledo to provide breakfast for the morning.
