WKU Food Recovery hit a milestone this month with recovering over 5,000 pounds of food since the program began.

The organization was started in January 2019 by senior and current president Elaine Losekamp. In a ceremony Thursday, President Tim Caboni recognized the program on their accomplishments and awarded them with a plaque.

“It was really exciting,” Losekamp said. “He’s been very supportive and trying hard since he found out about the program to give it exposure and celebrate our work.”

Losekamp said it was nice to be recognized not only for their efforts, but also for their program’s growth overtime. In recent semesters, the organization averaged between 15 to 18 volunteers, but in Fall 2020, they’ve averaged about 28 volunteers.

This growth has allowed them to recover more food as well. This semester alone, they’ve made 97 recoveries, which was about 1,367 pounds of food to local partners.

Losekamp said they have donated to about 12 different organizations since the start, but this semester, they tend give to about 5 different partners. They recover food from 13 different restaurants on campus.

Food Recovery is always welcoming new volunteers. To get involved, you can email [email protected] or learn more on their Instagram @wkufoodrecovery.

Social Media Manager Ellie Tolbert can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eleanortolbert4.