University of Iowa students work to reduce food waste on campus

IOWA CITY, Iowa—While living in a residence hall last year at the University of Iowa, John Sheeley was shocked by the amount of food students were throwing away in the cafeteria.

"It's a huge problem," said Sheeley, a sophomore in pre-business.

This spring, Sheeley learned about the Food Recovery Network, a nationwide program that helps students collect surplus food on their campus and donate it to organizations that feed the hungry in their area. Founded in 2011, FRN has chapters at 46 colleges and universities in 21 states where student volunteers have recovered more than 235,000 pounds of food.