Preventing Waste by Redistributing Food

Eva Rocke, UM Sustainability director; Kenzie Carter, Bear Necessities program coordinator; Kat Cowley, Bear Necessities program manager; Colton Buford, assistant director, UMCD Catering and Sustainability.
Eva Rocke, UM Sustainability director; Kenzie Carter, Bear Necessities program coordinator; Kat Cowley, Bear Necessities program manager; Colton Buford, assistant director, UMCD Catering and  Sustainability.

You know what they say about teamwork – it makes dreams work! Campus Dining had a dream of getting unsold and leftover food into the hands of food-insecure students at University of Montana. This spring, through a collaboration with the UM Food Pantry and the Bear Necessities program, we’re doing exactly that. Managers of Campus Dining retail locations including The Market, the Food Court and UM Catering set aside their uneaten catering and surplus food items – from sandwiches and salads to pastries and pizza – free for the taking for anyone frequenting the UM Food Pantry.

“Our partnership with Campus Dining has made it possible for us to provide high quality grab-and-go food items that we otherwise could not keep in stock,” said Kat Cowley, program manager of the ASUM Bear Necessities program. “So far in 2024 we’ve ‘rescued’ around 1,700 pounds of food to be redistributed to UM students.”

In April, Campus Dining and the Bear Necessities staff were awarded a 2024 University of Montana Sustainability Award in the zero waste category for their effective partnership, which has helped many students this year who may not have known where their next meal was coming from.