Exciting News + 2026 ReFED Summit Photos & Insights
We returned from the ReFED Summit with exciting news: NFRA is now officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We're also thrilled to welcome new board members and share key takeaways from the Summit.
By the NFRA Board
It’s Official…
We are so thrilled that National Food Recovery Association, Inc. is officially a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization! Thank you to our community of 200+ members & friends — and especially our 24 Founding Members — who believed in this vision from the start. We’re also deeply grateful to the NFRA Board for helping make this milestone possible.
Warm Welcome
We are delighted to welcome Liz Miller (Spoonfuls), Heather Thompson (Table to Table), and Sean Hudson (412 Food Rescue) to the NFRA Board of Directors!
Thank You ReFED
It was so wonderful to see our Members and Friends at the 2026 ReFED Summit. Thank you ReFED for hosting an incredible event. Our member dinner and open breakfast were huge successes and we were overwhelmed by the sense of camaraderie and encouragement. Here is a link to the presentation we shared at the breakfast.
We are excited to share our key takeaways from the summit:
Sammie Paul · Wasted food is too big a problem for any of us to solve alone, and events like the ReFED Summit remind me how many incredible people are working on this issue. The sector we've built together is extraordinary — let's keep it up!
Jen England · The focus on wasted food from households continues. The industry has been moving in that direction for several years, and this was more evident than ever at this year’s Summit. I see opportunities for food recovery organizations here, as our volunteers are natural leaders in community education and outreach on this issue. I don’t think we can afford to see the household waste issue as not relevant to us as an industry, especially since we are important community fixtures in so many locations. And to echo Sammie, it is incredible to see the collaboration, camaraderie, and collegiality within the food recovery space continue to grow and flourish. I am excited to see that momentum continue.
Kramer Stuth · My biggest takeaway from the ReFED Summit was the tremendous opportunity ahead for food recovery organizations to be recognized not just as service providers, but as essential partners in addressing both wasted food and food insecurity. As more stakeholders seek scalable, measurable solutions, I believe the National Food Recovery Association is uniquely positioned to elevate the work of its members, strengthen collaboration across the sector, and help shape the future of food recovery. Like Sammie and Jen noted, it was inspiring to see the continued growth of relationships and collaboration throughout the food recovery community — something that gives me a great deal of optimism about the impact we can achieve together. It was especially exciting to see so many food recovery leaders and partners join us for the NFRA breakfast on Thursday morning, a great reminder of the energy, commitment, and momentum across our network.
Alyson Schill · As more businesses are partnering with services that provide depackaging and anaerobic digestion for surplus food and food scraps, we’re seeing a decrease in the amount of edible food recovered. However, it seems like there is an overall trend away from capital investments in the anaerobic digestion industry, as projected profits are not being met, and the high costs for “the easy button” are continually straining growth and sustainability. This industry relies heavily on a high price for natural gas, produced as a byproduct of the digestion process. Those of us in edible food recovery and rescue need more data to prove the immense value, including economic value, to remain a priority for businesses and governments.
Liz Miller · Food should feed people, and that's exactly what NFRA and its members are working to ensure. Connecting with the large turnout of food recovery peers at ReFED was both fantastic and motivating. It reinforced the importance of continuing to advance food recovery across the country and advocating for this critical work to receive the support and attention it deserves. The jam-packed NFRA breakfast is evidence that the food recovery presence in the ReFED community is strong, and that our work to reduce wasted food and the climate and community impacts we have is paramount.
Heather Thompson · My biggest takeaway from ReFED was the energy and connectivity between organizations and leaders focused on food rescue and recovery work across the country. Different sizes, models, geographies, technology platforms, but a strong shared purpose and a deep desire to support each other in this growing movement. Food recovery doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves when discussing overall solutions to reduction of wasted food, but that is exactly why NFRA is so important at this moment in time — to elevate the critical role we play in building sustainable food systems, and to demonstrate that food recovery is doable, scalable, and vital.
Sean Hudson · It was fascinating and energizing to see the many parts of the food sustainability space. The chance to connect with related but different parts of what we do felt valuable and gave me a lot to think about. Food recovery, specifically, had a large footprint at the solutions tables but made up a relatively small part of the breakout and session spaces. Unsurprisingly, people in food recovery are scrappy and all found each other quickly. My takeaway is that continuing to grow our already highly collaborative network will remain our strength and ultimately inform where we’ll need to focus.
Dana Siles · I feel so fortunate to have attended the Summit this year. Each year, the relationships strengthen, the conversations deepen, and my excitement for supporting this space grows. The most valuable experiences (aside from the dinner and breakfast, both of which exceeded hopes and expectations!) were the 1:1 conversations with NFRA Members and Allies. The chance to talk face-to-face, starting with a hug rather than a click, was really special. These conversations, some of which lasted more than an hour, were affirming and meaningful and sparked ideas that will surely lead to tangible benefits for NFRA and the broader edible food recovery space. Oh – and another huge takeaway was the fashion inspiration courtesy of Jen and Brandon! 😃
