“RIT is a beautiful place for an idea to be born.”

- Sharon Kompalla-Porter, Associate Director, Center for Residence Life

Let's go back in time.

2014

• Rebecca Johnson, Associate of the University, observed issues of food waste at a number of campus events sparking an interest in determining solution to reduce waste. In the Spring and Summer of 2014, conversations began with Dr. Johnson and Enid Cardinal, Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Planning and Sustainability.
• Enid connected Dr. Johnson with Dr. Kelly Norris Martin, Director of the School of Communication. Dr. Norris Martin brought the food waste challenge to her Campaign & Marketing Class in the Fall of 2014. The class created and launched the RIT FoodShare facebook group on Dec. 3, 2014.
• Sharon Kompalla-Porter, Associate Director for Residence Life, and two graduate assistants, Neha Sood (now the Assistant Director, RIT Sustainability) and Kerry Kuntz, attended a Sustainability in Campus Housing conference at Cornell University in October, and were inspired to bring the practice of freecycling to RIT.

An idea was born. Throughout the coming months, the group connected to begin formulating a plan for what would soon become the RIT FoodShare Center.

2015

The RIT FoodShare Center opened its doors within a Center for Residence Life Apartment Area office in April 2015.

The FoodShare Garden opened in Summer 2015.

2018

In partnership with the Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Bern's Closet opened in April 2018.

Tigers Supporting Tigers

The RIT FoodShare is made possible through the year over year support of the RIT community. Students, staff, and faculty have donated their time, energy, and resources to making FoodShare the community hub it is today. Through events like the annual Staff Council FoodShare Drive, the Goodbye Goodbuy sale, the Hunger Project, and various other initiatives - the FoodShare is able to meet the needs of every community member who seeks out their services, even as usage has increased over the past 6 years.

COVID-19 Response

RIT FoodShare remains dedicated to serving and supporting all local members of the RIT community as the university, country, and world continue to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. In order to reduce the health risks for our staff and the people we serve, we are implementing changes to our normal operations that eliminate in-person "supermarket-style" shopping and replace it with a request and pickup process that will encourage social distancing and minimize person-to-person contact at the RIT FoodShare Center.

From April 7, 2020 to May 15, 2021, 1,760 bags have been requested through CampusGroups and 1,497 have been distributed to or picked up by those in need.

The Next Chapter

A strategic decision has been made to move the RIT FoodShare program from under the Center for Residence Life to the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (CLCE). This reorganization is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program by situating it within a unit more closely aligned with its mission. Additionally, the program will benefit from the CLCE's campus and community partnerships as well as its strengths in the areas of assessment, storytelling, and fundraising; this is particularly important as we consider soliciting donor and University support to either update the current facility or relocate it given its age and general uncertainty about the future of Riverknoll.

As the facility is improved, there is also an opportunity to reimagine the look, feel, and utility of the space. One goal is to include a demonstration kitchen and communal area where educational events could be held for students on meal preparation, sustainable gardening, and other related topics. We also envision FoodShare serving as an information resource to the university to guide decisions around dining, food insecurity, and access on RIT's campus through data, trends, and storytelling.

An Advisory Board will also be created with students, staff, faculty and community members. Sharon Kompalla-Porter will remain connected to the center by serving on the Board.

“I never imagined the FoodShare would evolve into what it is today. This transition helps to institutionalize the FoodShare program in a way that will help it be sustainable and live on.”

- Sharon Kompalla-Porter, Associate Director, Center for Residence Life

“RIT is full of community members with interests and passions that are bigger than themselves as individuals. The CLCE sees FoodShare as a natural extension of our work to connect community members to opportunities to give back and be change makers.”

- Kathryn Cilano, Assistant Director Civic Engagement, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement

“The FoodShare has grown to become a critical resource for our community. We are very proud of the efforts of the Residence Life team in support of this program’s development over the past six years. Our pride in the past is equaled by our excitement about the future. We are eager to see the possibilities and growth that await the FoodShare as it finds a new home in the CLCE.”

- Harold Fields, Director, Center for Residence Life

“All of us in the CLCE are both excited and honored to be the new home of the Foodshare. We’re committed to providing the level of service that community members have come to expect from the Foodshare and to the process of co-creating, with the RIT and greater-Rochester communities, the future of the organization. Imagine the possibilities!”

- Kerry Foxx, Director, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement

How can I get involved?

Goodbye, Goodbuy

Students, faculty, and staff can give to FoodShare by dropping off items in the donation bins located at the Global Market and the Corner Store.

FoodShare Fund

Established in 2015, the fund helps to provide the financial support to make FoodShare’s work possible.

Amazon Wishlist

Donors can select from a variety of high priority items to be shipped directly to the FoodShare Center.

East Ave Grocery Run

Join the RIT team for the virtual race on November 5-7, 2021. Registration is open!

Last year, over 60 people participated on the RIT team which netted RIT FoodShare over $9,000 in support from team registrations, fundraising, and a percentage of corporate sponsorships distributed to RIT. Corporate sponsorships are distributed to local food banks based on the size of the participating team.