September Member Meeting Recap: Food Waste Prevention Week, Health Benefits & More
Our September member meeting was filled with updates, resources, and opportunities to learn from one another. Members shared what they’re doing for Food Waste Prevention Week, we discussed new fundraising opportunities, and Amanda from FoodRecovery.org shared helpful information about employee health benefits.
Here’s a look at what we covered.
By the NFRA Executive Board
Food Waste Prevention Week Is Here!
Members shared the many ways they’re participating in Food Waste Prevention Week, September 28–October 4, 2026 — and there are lots of opportunities to learn!
NFRA members and friends are hosting free webinars throughout the week covering food recovery, technology, partnerships, policy, and practical strategies for keeping good food out of landfills.
A few of the upcoming events include:
Food Recovery: Strategies for Success
September 30 · 12:00 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT
Featuring Eliza Blank (Farmlink), Jennifer England (National Food Recovery Association/Hunger Network), and Luis Yepiz (Farmlink).
The session will explore two programs reaching millions of people and strategies for reducing wasted food and fighting hunger nationwide. Presented in partnership with Farmlink, Hunger Network, Maryland Recycling Network, and NFRA.
Food Recovery by the Truckload
September 30 · 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
A 45-minute session with live Q&A featuring Stephanie De La Hoz of Move For Hunger and Tony Cook of Second Harvest Inland Northwest. The webinar will explore large-scale recovery, including recovering truckloads of surplus food, coordinating transportation logistics, and building partnerships that reduce wasted food and feed communities.
Food Recovery: For People, Planet, and Your Business
September 30 · 1:00 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Hosted by Spoonfuls, this panel will explore how food recovery partnerships can support businesses while advancing sustainability goals. Panelists include Dana Ciampa (Kraft Sports + Entertainment), Alie Kroese (Roche Bros.), Stephanie Kroft (Wegmans), and Allie Wainer (Sid Wainer & Son), with Liz Miller of Spoonfuls facilitating.
To Donate or Not to Donate?
October 1 · 6:00-6:50 p.m. ET / 3:00-3:50 p.m. PT
Featuring Robert Lee, CEO of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, and Sophia Lin Kanno, founder of The Spicy Grasshopper.
Leveraging Technology to Prevent Food Waste
October 3 · 2:00–2:50 p.m. ET / 11:00-11:50 a.m. PT
Featuring Jenna Deane of GoGardenClub, Victoire Cleren of Share My Meals, and Fengmin Gong of Metafoodx. The session will explore how technology can help prevent wasted food in the garden and commercial kitchen and create a more efficient food ecosystem.
These are just some of the great events happening throughout the week. View the full Food Waste Prevention Week webinar schedule and find opportunities to join the conversation at www.foodwastepreventionweek.com/webinars.
A New Fundraising Opportunity
We also touched on NFRA’s new fundraising initiative, hosted by Earth Gives. We’re excited about the opportunity this creates for NFRA and our members.
We’ll be sharing more about the fundraiser — including how members can participate — in a separate post in the coming weeks. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can learn about our objectives here: www.earthgives.org/organization/National-Food-Recovery-Association
Exploring Health Benefit Options for Small Organizations
Amanda from FoodRecovery.org also joined us to share information about employee health insurance and benefit options.
NFRA is exploring the possibility of offering group health insurance through NFRA in the future, potentially as early as next year. In the meantime, Amanda shared several options that organizations can consider now, particularly for organizations that may not have the size or resources to offer a traditional group health plan.
QSEHRA: A Simple Option for Smaller Organizations
A QSEHRA (Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement) can be an option for employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees. Under a QSEHRA, an employer sets a monthly allowance for eligible employees, subject to annual federal limits.
Employees can use the benefit toward broader types of coverage and eligible expenses, including individual health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, COBRA, or a spouse’s group plan.
Because the employer generally provides the same allowance to eligible employees, QSEHRA can be a relatively straightforward approach for smaller organizations looking to provide a health benefit.
ICHRA: Flexibility for Different Employee Groups
An ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement) is available to employers of any size and does not have a federal contribution limit.
One of the key differences is flexibility: employers can establish different employee classes and provide different allowances. For example, an organization could structure benefits differently for full-time and part-time employees, salaried and hourly employees, or employees in different locations.
Employees must have individual health insurance or Medicare to participate.
Both QSEHRA and ICHRA can provide tax-free reimbursement of eligible medical expenses and premiums, but the right approach will depend on an organization's size, workforce, budget, and benefit goals.
Exploring Your Options
Amanda shared two platforms that organizations can explore:
Take Command offers multi-state coverage, with the presentation noting an administration fee of $40 per month plus $25 per employee.
Thatch also offers multi-state coverage. The presentation noted an administration fee of $40 per month for each employee who enrolls when referred through their payroll partner.
These figures were shared as part of Amanda's September 16 presentation, so organizations should confirm current pricing and plan details directly with the providers.
Amanda also provided additional resources from Thatch, including information explaining:
What an ICHRA is
How employees enroll
How an ICHRA compares with other group health plans
Additional information to help organizations evaluate their options
All three presentations are available in the NFRA Member Resource Hub under Human Resources, including:
Employee Benefits Options — the PDF presentation created by Amanda
ICHRA Overview — Thatch resource
ICHRA Enrollment and Plan Comparison — Thatch resource
Amanda also offered to speak with members who would like to learn more or discuss what FoodRecovery.org has learned along the way.
Looking Ahead
One of the longer-term ideas Amanda shared was the possibility of exploring a coalition health plan through NFRA.
As she explained, FoodRecovery.org began exploring its own options with the idea that NFRA could potentially bring organizations together around a shared plan in the future. The concept is still just that — a future possibility — and NFRA would need to explore the idea with its leadership and membership before determining whether it makes sense.
For now, the goal is simply to share information and help member organizations identify options that may work for their teams today.
Thank you to everyone who joined the September member meeting and shared resources, ideas, and opportunities with the NFRA community. We’re stronger when we learn from one another — and there’s plenty more ahead!
