No Food Left Behind: Iona University Students Take Action Against Food Waste
Iona’s Food Recovery Network team springs into action to rescue surplus food across campus.
New Rochelle, N.Y. - Iona University students are taking action to address the issues of food waste and food insecurity, helping to recover and donate surplus food that otherwise would have gone to waste across campus.
Launched through the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit this past fall, the Iona chapter of the Food Recovery Network has already rescued over 100 pounds of food – and counting.
“The Food Recovery Network encompasses my passions for sustainability, social justice and food insecurity while creating meaningful change within a community,” said freshman Ian Smith ’28. “It is a passion I hope will only spread along our greater Iona community as well as to other institutions.”
Jim Robinson, professor of religious studies and director of Iona’s Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit, has served as the group’s faculty advisor since its founding in October 2024.
It all started when Robinson suggested that students might pursue this initiative at one of the Institute’s GreenFaith Circle gatherings this past fall. Soon after, Iona’s local chapter began gaining grassroots traction and it now has 25 members.
Smith and fellow freshman classmate Jayden Lopez ’28 immediately expressed a desire to take on leadership roles. Communicating via text chats, the group is nimble and able to respond quickly across campus if there is food to be recovered.
“As a new organization, the response has been amazing,” Robinson said. “Our student leaders have really taken this forward in incredibly powerful ways.”
The Food Recovery Network was originally founded in 2011 by students at the University of Maryland to address two intertwined issues.
The first is the problem of food waste; 40 percent of all food in the United States goes to waste, causing not only food insecurity but also environmental problems. The second issue is the lack of access to healthy food, which affects an estimated 47.7 million Americans.
So far, Iona students have saved over 100 pounds of food and donated it to the Don Bosco Soup Kitchen in nearby Port Chester, N.Y. Additionally, they have partnered with Chartwells, the school’s food service provider, to save even more food that otherwise would have gone to waste.
Iona student Miguel Oliveros, who has been delivering the food, said he was inspired to be part of the initiative to help serve others in alignment with his values.
“Traveling the world and seeing the difference in both wealthy and not so wealthy countries, and the people that live there, I wanted to help those with very little because that is how I was raised, to help those in need,” Oliveros said.
Expanding student advocacy beyond campus, Smith and Iona senior Connor Murray ’25 also recently presented at an environmental summit at The Center at Mariandale on April 26, discussing several ecological initiatives taking place at Iona such as the Food Recovery Network, GreenFaith Circle and others through the Deignan Institute.
As the Food Recovery Network continues to gain momentum, Robinson encourages students and others to join the cause and share their constructive ideas. To get involved, the Iona community can email Robinson at jxrobinson@iona.edu.
“This is an evolving project, and through conversations with people in the Iona community, we’re working to refine our approach,” Robinson said. “The easiest way for us to do that is by building connections within the community.”
From left to right: Mekias Assefa ’27, Ian Smith ’28, Nathan Mesfin ’27, Connor Murray ’25, and Dr. Jim Robinson.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2025, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 5 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2024.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with one of the nation’s top hospitals. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.