Andrew Gerges
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/640253ade2cfd9b959ccfe29_Screenshot%202023-02-10%20at%203.16.02%20PM.png)
Meet our newest media analytics fellow, Andrew Gerges! Andrew is from Torrance CA, and he is in his Sophomore year of college studying Economics and International Relations. Drawn to Farmlink because of his passion for igniting tangible impact, Andrew is looking forward to honing his data analytics skills for food recovery this quarter. When he’s not crunching numbers, Andrew spends time hiking, learning the guitar, and playing GeoGuesser!
Isabella Yonge
Introducing Media Fellow Isabella Yonge! Isabella is an Agricultural Business major from Redding, CA. She was brought to farmlink because of her eagerness to utilize the knowledge from her major on a larger scale. Isabella is looking forward to learning more about media creation in Farmlink’s supportive community. This quarter will be very eventful for Isabella, but she’ll be sure to unwind when she’s camping, running, or riding a unicycle!
Claire
The Impact team is excited to welcome Claire! Claire is from Huntington Beach, California. She is currently studying human biology and society at UCLA with a minor in public health. Her academic pursuit of an interesting mix of science and humanities has led her to volunteer for the Mobile Clinic. Claire saw The Farmlink Project on social media and became interested in the public facing side of the organization. Claire wants to contribute to the ethos of Farmlink through creative writing and impactful story-telling that would convince new donors and financial backers to support the cause of food rescue. Claire is outdoorsy and enjoys surfing, hiking, and going to the beach in her free time. She grew up doing ballet and still dances at the dance clubs at university. Claire has two dogs and two cats, and has taken up crochet as her new hobby lately.
Carson
Meet Carson! Carson is from Connecticut, and recently graduated from Hamilton College with a major in Environmental Studies. Her academic interests span climate change, environmental policies, biology, ecology, and human biology. Carson is committed to working in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. Carson is from the same hometown as Ben, and read about the beginning of the Farmlink Project in a local newspaper three years ago. She has been following Farmlink since then and is really excited to be part of this community. She is deeply invested in the power of storytelling to create empathy, and wants to use writing to push forward Farmlink’s mission. For Carson, Farmlink has a story - a narrative that is worth sharing with the nation. In her free time, Carson loves reading fiction and memoir, and cooking with her mom. Carson is very fond of tea and Palestinian food.
Luke Turner
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025432e3137476f3e643a2_IMG_0509.jpg)
We are excited to introduce you to Luke Turner! Luke is one of our new Media Fellows hailing from Mountain Brook, Alabama. Luke is now a first-year student at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide), studying Management Information Systems and Piano Performance. Music has always been a passion for Luke, who currently has a grant from the University of Alabama to perform piano for communities lacking exposure to the arts. He believes that music can bring joy to everyone and that it’s an exciting way to connect with people. Outside of music, Luke joined Farmlink’s media team because he’s interested in the intersection between business and technology, and is excited to help Farmlink grow and reach more people in the online space. Beyond Farmlink, Luke loves to travel and is even going to Egypt this Spring break. His favorite travel experience so far was a two-month-long trip to Dublin, Ireland, where he was lucky enough to experience the country more authentically than a typical tourist. Luke said that he read a lot about farm link before joining the team, and over the course of his fellowship, is super excited to see how the organization’s inner workings translate to life-changing impacts. We are so lucky to have Luke on the team, and Farmlink will be better because of him!
Chloe Anh
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025451fff8cd487a492125_IMG_7055.jpg)
We are super excited to introduce you to Chloe Ahn! Chloe is one of our newest Media fellows originally from New Jersey. Chloe is now a third-year student at USC studying public health, web development, and human disease. She loves this unique combination because public health integrates her interests in science and policy while web development and human disease remain globally relevant and improve her technical skills. Chloe chose to join Farmlink’s media team because she’s interested to learn more about how Farmlink manages its brand reputation and wants to improve her graphic design skills. Outside of Farmlink, Chloe loves to watch trashy horror movies like Anabelle and try out different crochet designs (she’s working on a cropped cardigan!). Finally, in the spirit of food, Chloe said that if she could be any type of produce, she would be a plum because that was her Grandma’s nickname for her and it reminds her of their bond. Farmlink is so lucky to have Chloe on the team, and we can’t wait to see where her creativity and drive take us.
Objective 1 engages with wasted food before the retail level, mainly incorporating USDA and EPA actions to build out food storage infrastructure, increase food donation, and invest in research to prevent food loss at the packaging and transportation level. The most important inclusion in Objective 1 was an added paragraph spotlighting Section 32 as a critical part of the nation’s food safety net. Section 32, a longstanding part of the 1935 Agricultural Adjustment Act (one of the first Farm Bills), uses agricultural customs receipts to fund the large-scale purchase of surplus produce from farmers and its transportation to hunger-fighting charities, schools, and other recipients nationwide. This program keeps millions of pounds of produce out of landfills each year, compensates farmers for their work, and fights food insecurity. Its inclusion as a food loss solution is critical to minimizing on-farm food loss while supporting farmers and reducing hunger. Objective 1 also indicates that the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) data can be used to identify points of surplus, an important expansion of current methods. Still, we will continue advocating for Farmlink and other food rescue organizations with existing, diverse networks of farmers and other food suppliers to be incorporated at a national level to better identify and address points of surplus food.
Farmlink is particularly excited about a new prioritization within Objective 2: “All projects aimed at increasing food rescue and donation should assess the quality, nutrition and appropriateness of the food being rescued, not just the quantity (e.g., consistent with Indigenous food sovereignty).” Since Farmlink’s founding, one of our core values has been to prioritize and maintain dignity associated with charitable food distribution, and a new emphasis on quality, nutrition, and appropriateness, especially in terms of indigenous food sovereignty, is a critical step to ensuring that the strategy is fighting hunger in an equitable, open-minded, and just way.
Objective 2 also now has the EPA's commitment to use life cycle assessment techniques to evaluate food waste prevention strategies, the results of which will inform consumer campaigns and incentives. They have also committed to refining and expanding food donation and recovery infrastructure through the Excess Food Opportunities Map. Farmlink will continue to advocate for the inclusion of food rescue organizations with existing networks and relationships to help expand these tools.
These changes are great. But how’s it all going to be funded?
During the comment process, Farmlink, as well as other food rescue organizations and coalitions, raised critical questions about how the strategy would be funded and, as a result, which measures are feasible. In particular, we hoped for more clarity beyond the draft’s statement that the USDA would use American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act funds and the EPA would use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. Of the 86 programs or initiatives reviewed in the final strategy, only 15 are completely new programs announced in the strategy.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e15f6569d732bec2b3/669fc8ce0f88c9bc7ced3ba7_New%20FLW%20Program%20(11).jpeg)
The other 71 are existing programs or initiatives that either already have a food loss and waste focus or that the national strategy has repackaged as food loss and waste solutions. While we had hopes of new, innovative programs being included in the strategy, the good news with these 71 programs is that most, if not all, are already funded, meaning that they are not reliant on an increasingly turbulent Congress for implementation. Of the 15 new programs, which included the EPA’s new consumer education campaign and several new cooperative agreements with land-grant universities, only 2 had specific funding mechanisms. It has become increasingly clear that food rescue organizations and other stakeholders in the food and agriculture space should not consider this strategy as a new rollout of FLW solutions, programs, and funding but rather as an evaluation of the current resources and solutions and how each can be most effectively utilized to achieve the strategy’s goals. In particular, the framing of many of USDA’s programs as FLW solutions offers opportunities to utilize existing funding, data, and infrastructure to solve one of the United States’s most pressing problems.
Whats next?
Now that we have the strategy, it’s time to truly take advantage of the opportunities it presents. In the immediate future at Farmlink, we’re excited to continue optimizing Section 32 as a critical on-farm food loss solution as we anticipate significant surplus recoveries in the fall. As we move forward, we continue to advocate for dignity with food distribution, emphasizing cultural appropriateness and quality in every pound of food we rescue. As outlined in our comments, food rescue organizations are critical stakeholders and thought partners for the agencies. Our inclusion in the strategy as such is an opportunity we are taking full advantage of to help guide federal action to support farmers, feed communities, and heal the planet.
< BackAndrew Gerges
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/640253ade2cfd9b959ccfe29_Screenshot%202023-02-10%20at%203.16.02%20PM.png)
Meet our newest media analytics fellow, Andrew Gerges! Andrew is from Torrance CA, and he is in his Sophomore year of college studying Economics and International Relations. Drawn to Farmlink because of his passion for igniting tangible impact, Andrew is looking forward to honing his data analytics skills for food recovery this quarter. When he’s not crunching numbers, Andrew spends time hiking, learning the guitar, and playing GeoGuesser!
Isabella Yonge
Introducing Media Fellow Isabella Yonge! Isabella is an Agricultural Business major from Redding, CA. She was brought to farmlink because of her eagerness to utilize the knowledge from her major on a larger scale. Isabella is looking forward to learning more about media creation in Farmlink’s supportive community. This quarter will be very eventful for Isabella, but she’ll be sure to unwind when she’s camping, running, or riding a unicycle!
Claire
The Impact team is excited to welcome Claire! Claire is from Huntington Beach, California. She is currently studying human biology and society at UCLA with a minor in public health. Her academic pursuit of an interesting mix of science and humanities has led her to volunteer for the Mobile Clinic. Claire saw The Farmlink Project on social media and became interested in the public facing side of the organization. Claire wants to contribute to the ethos of Farmlink through creative writing and impactful story-telling that would convince new donors and financial backers to support the cause of food rescue. Claire is outdoorsy and enjoys surfing, hiking, and going to the beach in her free time. She grew up doing ballet and still dances at the dance clubs at university. Claire has two dogs and two cats, and has taken up crochet as her new hobby lately.
Carson
Meet Carson! Carson is from Connecticut, and recently graduated from Hamilton College with a major in Environmental Studies. Her academic interests span climate change, environmental policies, biology, ecology, and human biology. Carson is committed to working in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. Carson is from the same hometown as Ben, and read about the beginning of the Farmlink Project in a local newspaper three years ago. She has been following Farmlink since then and is really excited to be part of this community. She is deeply invested in the power of storytelling to create empathy, and wants to use writing to push forward Farmlink’s mission. For Carson, Farmlink has a story - a narrative that is worth sharing with the nation. In her free time, Carson loves reading fiction and memoir, and cooking with her mom. Carson is very fond of tea and Palestinian food.
Luke Turner
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025432e3137476f3e643a2_IMG_0509.jpg)
We are excited to introduce you to Luke Turner! Luke is one of our new Media Fellows hailing from Mountain Brook, Alabama. Luke is now a first-year student at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide), studying Management Information Systems and Piano Performance. Music has always been a passion for Luke, who currently has a grant from the University of Alabama to perform piano for communities lacking exposure to the arts. He believes that music can bring joy to everyone and that it’s an exciting way to connect with people. Outside of music, Luke joined Farmlink’s media team because he’s interested in the intersection between business and technology, and is excited to help Farmlink grow and reach more people in the online space. Beyond Farmlink, Luke loves to travel and is even going to Egypt this Spring break. His favorite travel experience so far was a two-month-long trip to Dublin, Ireland, where he was lucky enough to experience the country more authentically than a typical tourist. Luke said that he read a lot about farm link before joining the team, and over the course of his fellowship, is super excited to see how the organization’s inner workings translate to life-changing impacts. We are so lucky to have Luke on the team, and Farmlink will be better because of him!
Chloe Anh
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025451fff8cd487a492125_IMG_7055.jpg)
We are super excited to introduce you to Chloe Ahn! Chloe is one of our newest Media fellows originally from New Jersey. Chloe is now a third-year student at USC studying public health, web development, and human disease. She loves this unique combination because public health integrates her interests in science and policy while web development and human disease remain globally relevant and improve her technical skills. Chloe chose to join Farmlink’s media team because she’s interested to learn more about how Farmlink manages its brand reputation and wants to improve her graphic design skills. Outside of Farmlink, Chloe loves to watch trashy horror movies like Anabelle and try out different crochet designs (she’s working on a cropped cardigan!). Finally, in the spirit of food, Chloe said that if she could be any type of produce, she would be a plum because that was her Grandma’s nickname for her and it reminds her of their bond. Farmlink is so lucky to have Chloe on the team, and we can’t wait to see where her creativity and drive take us.
Meet our Spring 2023 Creative ROOT Fellows!
Andrew Gerges
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/640253ade2cfd9b959ccfe29_Screenshot%202023-02-10%20at%203.16.02%20PM.png)
Meet our newest media analytics fellow, Andrew Gerges! Andrew is from Torrance CA, and he is in his Sophomore year of college studying Economics and International Relations. Drawn to Farmlink because of his passion for igniting tangible impact, Andrew is looking forward to honing his data analytics skills for food recovery this quarter. When he’s not crunching numbers, Andrew spends time hiking, learning the guitar, and playing GeoGuesser!
Isabella Yonge
Introducing Media Fellow Isabella Yonge! Isabella is an Agricultural Business major from Redding, CA. She was brought to farmlink because of her eagerness to utilize the knowledge from her major on a larger scale. Isabella is looking forward to learning more about media creation in Farmlink’s supportive community. This quarter will be very eventful for Isabella, but she’ll be sure to unwind when she’s camping, running, or riding a unicycle!
Claire
The Impact team is excited to welcome Claire! Claire is from Huntington Beach, California. She is currently studying human biology and society at UCLA with a minor in public health. Her academic pursuit of an interesting mix of science and humanities has led her to volunteer for the Mobile Clinic. Claire saw The Farmlink Project on social media and became interested in the public facing side of the organization. Claire wants to contribute to the ethos of Farmlink through creative writing and impactful story-telling that would convince new donors and financial backers to support the cause of food rescue. Claire is outdoorsy and enjoys surfing, hiking, and going to the beach in her free time. She grew up doing ballet and still dances at the dance clubs at university. Claire has two dogs and two cats, and has taken up crochet as her new hobby lately.
Carson
Meet Carson! Carson is from Connecticut, and recently graduated from Hamilton College with a major in Environmental Studies. Her academic interests span climate change, environmental policies, biology, ecology, and human biology. Carson is committed to working in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. Carson is from the same hometown as Ben, and read about the beginning of the Farmlink Project in a local newspaper three years ago. She has been following Farmlink since then and is really excited to be part of this community. She is deeply invested in the power of storytelling to create empathy, and wants to use writing to push forward Farmlink’s mission. For Carson, Farmlink has a story - a narrative that is worth sharing with the nation. In her free time, Carson loves reading fiction and memoir, and cooking with her mom. Carson is very fond of tea and Palestinian food.
Luke Turner
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025432e3137476f3e643a2_IMG_0509.jpg)
We are excited to introduce you to Luke Turner! Luke is one of our new Media Fellows hailing from Mountain Brook, Alabama. Luke is now a first-year student at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide), studying Management Information Systems and Piano Performance. Music has always been a passion for Luke, who currently has a grant from the University of Alabama to perform piano for communities lacking exposure to the arts. He believes that music can bring joy to everyone and that it’s an exciting way to connect with people. Outside of music, Luke joined Farmlink’s media team because he’s interested in the intersection between business and technology, and is excited to help Farmlink grow and reach more people in the online space. Beyond Farmlink, Luke loves to travel and is even going to Egypt this Spring break. His favorite travel experience so far was a two-month-long trip to Dublin, Ireland, where he was lucky enough to experience the country more authentically than a typical tourist. Luke said that he read a lot about farm link before joining the team, and over the course of his fellowship, is super excited to see how the organization’s inner workings translate to life-changing impacts. We are so lucky to have Luke on the team, and Farmlink will be better because of him!
Chloe Anh
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5ffe29e1e382856eb6facc3e/64025451fff8cd487a492125_IMG_7055.jpg)
We are super excited to introduce you to Chloe Ahn! Chloe is one of our newest Media fellows originally from New Jersey. Chloe is now a third-year student at USC studying public health, web development, and human disease. She loves this unique combination because public health integrates her interests in science and policy while web development and human disease remain globally relevant and improve her technical skills. Chloe chose to join Farmlink’s media team because she’s interested to learn more about how Farmlink manages its brand reputation and wants to improve her graphic design skills. Outside of Farmlink, Chloe loves to watch trashy horror movies like Anabelle and try out different crochet designs (she’s working on a cropped cardigan!). Finally, in the spirit of food, Chloe said that if she could be any type of produce, she would be a plum because that was her Grandma’s nickname for her and it reminds her of their bond. Farmlink is so lucky to have Chloe on the team, and we can’t wait to see where her creativity and drive take us.