Rose Freudberg, Food Link’s Volunteer Program Associate, first became aware of food rescue during her senior year capstone project at Brandeis University. While attending virtual classes in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she became motivated to help others in her hometown of Newton, MA. This led to an internship with the Newton Food Pantry where Rose witnessed the long lines of cars that came each week to pick up bags of groceries and supported the organization in identifying areas for growth to best meet the needs of the community. Inspired to continue this type of work, Rose found Food Link and joined the team in October 2020.

Continue reading for an interview with Rose to learn more about her passions and interests, her vision for the future of food rescue, and what it’s like to work as our Volunteer Program Associate.

At Brandeis, you studied Health: Science, Society, and Policy. How has working at Food Link helped broaden your perspective on public health and policy concerns?

My degree in HSSP had a core focus on the social determinants of health: the social and economic factors that contribute to a person’s health. These lead to significant health disparities based on the distribution of wealth and resources in this country. Coming out of my degree, I initially thought I would like to work in a healthcare field. What I learned, however, is that working to help people meet their most basic needs is equally important to me and can have just as much impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. I love the work we do at Food Link because it’s so tangible. We see thousands of pounds of food move every day, and I know that it’s getting into the hands of those who need it.

Rose truck.png — “It was incredible to get such enthusiastic responses from volunteers and to see the mission accomplished.”

As the Volunteer Program Associate, you oversee our dedicated force of over 250+ people! What are some of your favorite memories of working with our volunteer corps?

One morning in February, I checked my email at 8 AM to see an email titled “Fast Help Needed.” Julie, Food Link’s Director of Food Acquisition, had received word from Maverick Landing, a housing facility in East Boston, that they would be able to receive and distribute 300 USDA Farms to Families boxes. We happened to have a large load of boxes that week that we didn’t have a home for, so the Food Link team kicked into action to get those boxes where they needed to go!

I spent the next couple hours texting and emailing every volunteer I could think of, and a team quickly assembled to help load up two Food Link vans and five volunteer vehicles filled to the brim with boxes. It was incredible to get such enthusiastic responses from volunteers and to see the mission accomplished and the boxes already being distributed at Maverick to families by 11 AM that morning.

Being involved in food rescue can be taxing, both mentally and physically. On your days off, how do you like to unwind and reset?

My favorite thing to do is flying trapeze. There’s nothing like the feeling of being high up in the air to clear your mind! I teach classes to students of all ages and levels and also am a flyer myself. Besides flying trapeze, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and watching reality competition TV shows.

By 2023, Food Link aims to divert 2 million pounds of food annually from the waste stream, deliver enough food to our community for 1.6 million meals annually, and tailor deliveries to meet the dietary, cultural, and scheduling needs of our partners. Aside from working toward accomplishing these goals, what is your hope for the future of food rescue?

I feel so lucky to have joined Food Link at a time of immense growth and change. I’m excited to be a part of the team as we work to reach our goal of 2 million pounds. Food rescue is such a smart way to address two key issues in our food system simultaneously, food waste and food insecurity. There is so much food out there that needs someone to step in and figure out the logistics of how to get it to someone who needs it. There are so many different ways to accomplish this, and I hope to see new and innovative ways of getting food from one place to another. I hope food rescue is brought to the awareness of more businesses so that more are motivated to donate their food.

Additionally, I hope those working in food rescue continue to value the importance of respect and dignity for those receiving the food. I really appreciate the attention to detail Food Link’s staff and volunteers bring to tailoring food to meet the specific needs and preferences of each community we serve and our focus on quality. For me, food is community and food is happiness, and I hope to see these values persist in the world of food rescue.

Thank you to Rose for this interview! Stay tuned for more posts featuring the rest of our team.

Be the first to know about all things Food Link by signing up for our newsletter, following us on Instagram, and liking our page on Facebook.

Connecting Food, Health, and Local Communities | Food Link Friday: Rose Freudberg