by Jessie Goodson, Campus Carrier Reporter

PHOTO COURTESY OF GRACIE SEIGRIST

Panera Bread donates bagels, rolls, and other food items through Food Connection, who distributes the donations to charities around Rome.

With the help of student and administration volunteers, a new food waste initiative has taken over Berry College. 

Food Connection began with an idea from sophomore Gracie Siegrist. Siegrist is a Bonner Scholar as well as a member of Berry College Volunteer Services (BCVS). Siegrist has always been passionate about helping people. 

“My biggest thing has always been feeding people,” Siegrist said. “If you don’t have food, you don’t have energy to do things. And if you don’t have the energy to do things, you can’t get back on your feet.”

Siegrist spoke to Brenda Briggs, wife of College President Stephen R. Briggs, over a year ago about her idea. Shortly after, they began the project. Food Connection has been hard at work this semester to eliminate food waste at Berry College and in Rome. Siegrist partnered with BCVS and has been working closely with Ellen Hearn, assistant director of Residence Life.

“We’re in a place of privilege here, in this community that we’re in, the resources we have available to us,” Hearn said,” and that’s not necessarily representative of Floyd County.”

Food Connection has also partnered with Panera Bread and Food Lion. They take left-overs and donations from these businesses and bring them to charitable places in the Rome community, such as Community Kitchen, Salvation Army and Cancer Navigators.

“We’re able to enhance our services and help our clients because of the program,” said Capt. Jason Smith, Salvation Army. “It is a great asset to our mission.”

Food Connection hopes to take more waste from Berry’s dining hall and repurpose that food as well.

“It’s just redistributing food that would otherwise go to a landfill,” Siegrist said. 

Food Connection and BCVS are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with things like pick-ups and drop-offs. Students who volunteer will be able to connect with the greater Rome and Floyd County communities through Food Connection. 

Dean of Students Debbie Heida has been helping with the initiative as well and said that Berry is a place for all students to get engaged.

“We’re living out our mission and our motto,” Heida said. 

Siegrist hopes to eventually grow the initiative to work on things such as composting. Siegrist and Hearn have been meeting with several on-campus groups about partnerships and further help.

“The vision is really, how do we get that extra food that would normally be wasted into the hands of the people that really need it?” Hearn said.

Food Connection has begun to close the gap between the other food waste initiatives on campus and will continue to reach toward their goal of ending waste in the Berry and Rome communities.