{"id":45309,"date":"2023-07-24T20:31:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T00:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/?p=45309"},"modified":"2023-07-24T20:37:31","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T00:37:31","slug":"st-johns-college-students-donate-2500-pounds-of-food-to-light-house-homeless-shelter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/st-johns-college-students-donate-2500-pounds-of-food-to-light-house-homeless-shelter\/","title":{"rendered":"St. John&#8217;s College Students Donate 2,500 Pounds Of Food To Light House Homeless Shelter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjc.edu\/news\/johnnies-team-dining-hall-donate-more-2500-pounds-food-annapolis-homelessness-center\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Press release from St. John&#8217;s College:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meliha Anthony (A25)<\/p><div class=\"8ad62c3a0ef3fdfd37e330a4d3170eb2\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6893006633895851\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 2nd display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6893006633895851\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"2190937813\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>June 23, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When three St. John\u2019s College students showed up unannounced at the Annapolis Light House in March to <a href=\"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/st-johns-college-students-donate-2500-pounds-of-food-to-light-house-homeless-shelter\/\"><strong>donate food for the first time,<\/strong><\/a> Kelly Rulle, the homeless prevention support center\u2019s pantry coordinator, was taken by surprise. But according to Rulle, \u201cit was a welcome surprise.\u201d<\/p><div class=\"8ad62c3a0ef3fdfd37e330a4d3170eb2\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6893006633895851\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- 2nd display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6893006633895851\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"2190937813\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Since that first trip, St. John\u2019s has donated 2,539 total pounds of food to the Light House. Student Madelyn Minor (A24) headed the initiative, reviving the college\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodrecoverynetwork.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0Food Recovery Network<\/a>\u00a0(FRN) during the 2023 spring semester after the group faced two major obstacles\u2013first the pandemic, then a lack of leadership\u2013and fell into a lull.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"find-out-whats-happening-in-annapoliswith-free-real-time-updates-from-patch\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find out what&#8217;s happening in Annapoliswith free, real-time updates from Patch.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Subscribe<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, college students generate\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrdc.org\/bio\/joanne-berkenkamp\/quest-cleaner-plates#:~:text=Extrapolated%20over%20the%20course%20of,size%20of%20a%20small%20person!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">110 pounds of food waste<\/a>\u00a0per student annually, according to the National Resource Defense Council. Figures like this one motivated a group of University of Maryland students in 2010 to rescue surplus cafeteria food and donate it to local hunger-fighting nonprofits. Their efforts led to the formation of the Food Recovery Network, a nationwide student movement tackling campus food waste that today encompasses nearly 200 campus chapters, including one founded several years ago at St. John\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minor recalls meeting Elise Dudley, a sustainability fellow with the campus dining hall\u2019s management company Bon App\u00e9tit, through a campus event. During their conversation, Dudley mentioned the FRN\u2019s previous efforts at St. John\u2019s College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI asked her what had to happen \u2026 for it to start up again,\u201d Minor says. \u201cShe said they just needed a point person to coordinate the different groups, and I said, \u2018Oh, I can be that person!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minor, who is currently a summer intern with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rescue.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Rescue Committee<\/a>, contacted key individuals around campus including Michael Cleary, the general manager for Bon App\u00e9tit in the dining hall, to begin collecting and distributing the cafeteria\u2019s uneaten food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a system that creates leftovers,\u201d Cleary says, describing everyday practices in food service and the safety regulations that make leftovers and food waste unavoidable. According to him, most leftovers cannot be re-served, and there are also rules regarding \u201ctime and temperature abuse\u201d that require food to be thrown away if it\u2019s been sitting out for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI feel much better about what we do here \u2026 if any of the waste that we are generating at least has another chance to feed somebody,\u201d Cleary says. \u201cAt least somebody has a chance to eat it and to get some nourishment from that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to Cleary, Minor received support from first-year student Ali Shawamreh (A26) and upperclassmen including Alayna Raymond (A23) and Luke Briner (A24), both from campus volunteer group Project Polity\u2014Minor affectionately describes Project Polity and the FRN as \u201cpartners in crime.\u201d Together the group transported and delivered meals to the Light House along with non-perishable items from Project Polity\u2019s fall and spring food drives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was really heartwarming how many people wanted to help,\u201d Minor says. \u201cOnce the ball gets rolling, so many people will lend their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2003The Light House has limited residency for unhoused individuals but provides other services to support and empower them. Rulle, the pantry coordinator at the Light House, explains the nonprofit\u2019s work and programs, listing opportunities including a client-choice pantry set up like a grocery store, a \u201csocial enterprise\u201d restaurant called the Light House Bistro where clients work and gain job skills, and client advocacy to help locate long-term housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to break the cycle of homelessness,\u201d Rulle says, adding that \u201cgetting to know people, making them happy, knowing what they want\u201d is her favorite part of her job. \u201cMaking them smile, that\u2019s the best part,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Minor is optimistic about the future of St. John\u2019s reinvigorated FRN chapter. An excited smile lights up her face as she holds up a newly printed \u201cSt. John\u2019s Food Recovery Network\u201d T-shirt during a recent Zoom conversation, discussing plans for next year and the possibility for first- and second-year students, including Shawamreh, to take on leadership roles. As far as Minor and her teammates are concerned, the campus Food Recovery Network is just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s nice to feel like you\u2019re not just a philosopher sitting in a cold dark room in the back parts of campus with no connection to the wellness of the community,\u201d says Shawamreh, who provided transportation for the FRN\u2019s donation trips. \u201cThis is a really good way \u2026 to connect on that level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Food Recovery Network at St. John\u2019s College is looking for assistance and drivers with cars. Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome; visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjc.edu\/newsmailto:info@foodrecoverynetwork.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">foodrecoverynetwork.org<\/a>\u00a0or contact Madelyn Minor (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjc.edu\/newsmailto:meminor@sjc.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meminor@sjc.edu<\/a>) for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This press release was produced by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sjc.edu\/news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">St. John&#8217;s College<\/a>. The views expressed here are the author\u2019s own.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Press release from St. John&#8217;s College: Meliha Anthony (A25) June 23, 2023 When three St. John\u2019s College students showed up unannounced at the Annapolis Light House in March to donate food for the first time, Kelly Rulle, the homeless prevention support center\u2019s pantry coordinator, was taken by surprise. But according to Rulle, \u201cit was a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":45310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/24287450_23173426130_Johnnie-Food-Recovery-Network.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7w8St-bMN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45309"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morningsidemaryland.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}