RIT has plenty of mouths for leftovers

Rochester Institute of Technology students with empty stomachs have had plenty of places to go this semester to get a snack — free of charge.

The RIT FoodShare Facebook page has been full of free food offerings on campus and should continue to be so, though the offerings might drop during the summer.

"Are you feeling particularly fancy? Come to the Welcome Desk in the Campus Center for mixed green salad with blue cheese ... mixed fruit (the good kind), sesame noodles, sandwiches, wraps and snickerdoodles. We are only missing the candles," says an April 17 posting.

And if you were still hungry, there were five other postings that day — from "pizza and soda outside Carlson auditorium" to "Tons of food in the Gordon atrium," though the posting nonetheless added: "Get here ASAP."

Photos of the food made it all the more inviting. To date, 927 members of the RIT community — mostly students — have signed on to the Facebook page, which has been up since December. A group notification goes to members when a free offering arises.

While these treats won't help weight watchers, they are high-minded in purpose: Too much food is going to waste on campus and there are some students — short of money — who need free food.

Supplementing this Facebook effort is FoodShare Center, which provides students — no questions asked — with up to three nonperishable food items a visit. The center, which is located at 113 Riverknoll on the west side of the campus, has its ceremonial ribbon cutting on Tuesday.

"It's good to know there are places available on campus to go for food," said Harshita Sood, who is a graduate student in environmental science and helping coordinate the center.

The seed for the FoodShare was planted by Rebecca Johnson, who has been involved in various community service initiatives and is the wife of RIT President Bill Destler.

At the outset of last semester, Johnson, accompanied by Enid Cardinal, RIT's senior sustainability adviser, appeared before assistant professor Kelly Norris Martin's campaign management and planning class in the School of Communication.

"She said that she noticed a lot of leftovers after campus events and wanted the students in the class to find the best way to tell students about the food," said Martin.

The students took Johnson up on her suggestion, first with the Facebook page and now with the FoodShare Center, collaborating with Auxiliary Services, Student Government, RIT Sustainability, and the Center for Residence Life.

A meeting room at a Residence Life office has been converted into a well-stocked center for storing and picking up the donated food, said Sharon Kompalla-Porter, associate director of residence life.

There are over 1,000 cans of everything from canned vegetables and fruits to boxes of pasta and rice

Donations have been given a boost with a "Food for Fines" program, which is being done through RIT's Commuter Life and the parking and transportation office.

A mailing to members of the RIT community said that from March 30 through May 1 they can reduce one parking violation on campus from a citation to a warning if they bring in the specified number of nonperishable food items to the parking and transportation office.

Three items would be needed for a waiver on an $18 fine, while seven items would be needed to be forgiven for a $30 fine.

"We are being given the benefits from this," said Kompalla-Porter.

JGOODMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com

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