By Robert Haugh

As Levi’s Stadium buzzes for Super Bowl 60, a student-led nonprofit is turning one of the weekend’s signature events into a hunger-fighting effort.

The Food Recovery Network (FRN) is partnering with the Bullseye Events Group to recover surplus food from the Players Tailgate – a pre-game gathering that draws NFL players, chefs, entertainers, and fans for four hours of gourmet food, live music, and socializing 

The Players Tailgate is within walking distance of Levi’s Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday and features all-you-can-eat cuisine prepared by celebrity chefs, multiple premium bars, and appearances by more than 50 current and former NFL players.

For the past six years, FRN volunteers have collected unused, high-quality food from the tailgate and redirected it to hunger-relief partners, keeping edible food out of landfills and onto plates in communities nationwide. 

To date, FRN has recovered more than 16,000 pounds of food from this single event, translating into over 13,000 meals for people experiencing food insecurity in cities from New Orleans to Miami. 

Students and alumni from the University of San Francisco, Cal Poly, San Francisco State University, and Case Western Reserve will be on the ground in Santa Clara this year, coordinating collections and deliveries.

FRN CEO Regina Harmon said the tailgate partnership highlights the scale of food waste around major events — and the potential for community-based solutions. “Eighteen million tons of food from consumer-facing businesses is wasted each year in the U.S.,” she noted, urging broader adoption of food recovery plans to transform neighborhoods and reduce hunger.

FRN has more than 200 college chapters and roughly 8,000 students and partners.