We’ve all felt it at the grocery checkout lately. Between shifting global markets and rising supply chain costs, keeping the family table full and the business budget balanced takes a lot more strategy these days. Dropping just in time for Juneteenth week, this episode is a timely reminder that true freedom and economic peace of mind start right at home, in our own communities.
As we get ready to wrap up Season 2 of The Black Business Live Podcast, host Tolu Akindunni sits down with the incredible Regina Harmon, CEO of Food Recovery Network, for a conversation that is less about traditional charity and much more about collective abundance. Regina shares a fresh, uplifting perspective on how we can look at the resources right in front of us differently.
You may be a local business owner looking to make your operations more sustainable or simply someone who wants to see their neighborhood thrive. This episode gives you a practical, hopeful blueprint for building our own modern-day storehouses. Pull up a chair and press play as we delve into self-reliance, community care, and shifting the narrative for good.
Key Highlights & Timestamps:
- 7:53 – How a simple campus idea scaled over 15 years into a massive national network that has recovered 24 million pounds of food across 46 states.
- 14:42 – The shocking environmental cost of food waste and why organic surplus has become the number one item clogging our landfills today.
- 22:27 – How local caterers, restaurants, conference organizers and coffee shops can save money, earn tax credits, and stay legally protected when donating food.
- 39:28 – Addressing racial disparities in food insecurity head-on and a call to action on how you can support the movement to make recovery the standard norm.
Actionable Resources
Ready to close the waste loop in your own operations and protect your local economy?
- Explore the Toolkits: Access free legal guides, tracking sheets, and implementation frameworks at the Food Recovery Network Resource Hub: foodrecoverynetwork.org/food-recovery-resource-hub
- ReFED Data Insights: Explore the structural data around U.S. food supply chains: refed.org
Featured Guest: Regina Harmon
Regina Harmon has served as the CEO of Food Recovery Network (FRN) since 2015, transforming it into one of the largest student-driven movements fighting hunger and climate change in the U.S.
Named one of the food industry's most influential leaders by Le prestige / SELF Magazine, Regina is a prominent voice on systemic equity and corporate accountability. Her global insights have been featured on CNN and Al Jazeera, and she actively drives policy change as a board member for Food Tank, Earth Island Institute, and ReFED’s Advisory Council.
Connect with Regina & FRN:
- Regina Harmon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginadmanderson/
- Food Recovery Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-recovery-network
- Website: foodrecoverynetwork.org
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