JANUARY 9, 2024 — The Rhode Island Food Policy Council, businesses, organizations, and fellow concerned Rhode Islanders submitted a letter to Governor McKee imploring them to prioritize making excess food donation a common practice among Rhode Island businesses by including a tax credit in the 2025 proposed budget. More than 560 signatures (and counting) from leading experts and other concerned Rhode Islanders underscore a deep understanding that doing so would help strengthen food and nutrition security, advance environmental sustainability, and support local businesses, farms, and institutions.
“Now is the time to turn common sense into common practice. Food donation is socially, environmentally, and economically practical, it is just, and it is a win-win-win. Rhode Island has the wherewithal to be the first state in the country with close to 0% wasted food and 100% food & nutrition security. This proposed incentive is a paramount step toward making this vision a reality.”
— Dana Siles, Council member and Director of Partnerships for Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Letter Co-signers:
Diane Lynch, Rhode Island Food Policy Council
Dana Siles, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
David Dadekian, Eat Drink RI
Jesse Rye, Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Frederick Mattera, Commercial Fisheries Center of RI
Scott Bromberg, Rhode Island Food Dealers Association
Richard Stang, Conservation Law Foundation
Steven Arthurs, Rhode Island Food Policy Council
Dannie Ritchie, Community Health Innovations of Rhode Island
Nanette Thayer, Rhode Island Indian Council
Karin Wetherill, RI Healthy Schools Coalition
Eric Weiner, PVD Food Truck Events
Rose Forrest, Sodexo
Ellen Slattery, Gracie’s
Brittany DeCosta, Knead Doughnuts
Margaret Tryforos, Care New England Medical Group
Michael E Lopes, Providence Lions Club
Dinalyn Spears, Narragansett Indian Tribe
Peter Trafton, MD, Emeritus Professor, Brown University
Heather Zoller, Z pita chipz.
Greg Gerritt, ProsperotyForRI.com
Alison Tovar, Brown University
Hannah Lasorsa, Sail Newport
Jim Murphy, Rhode Island College
Kayla Lanoie, Lincoln Housing Authority
Celeste Jeffrey, Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center
Yanel Severino, African Alliance RI
Olivia J Martinez, West End Community Center
Michelle Girasole, Kingston Congregational Church
Luis Cardona, Providence Rescue Mission
Doug, Johnson & Wales University
Tarshire Battle , Roots 2Empower
Tess Feigenbaum, Epic Renewal
Armine Donabedian, THE COMMUNITY BUILDERS/OLMSTED GARDENS/Presidential Place
Andrea Collins, Natural Resources Defense Council
Taina Lee, Community Action Partnership of Providence County
V Raffini, Southside Community Land Trust
Alice Howard, Sunrise Forever, Inc.
Charlene F. Traynum, Boys and Girls Clubs Of Newport County
Sherry DiBiase, Rhode Island College/Food 4 Thought Pantry
Rachel Averitt, Rely On Rach
Kate Masury, Eating with the Ecosystem
Thea Upham, Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Amanda Repose, Fully Rooted
Joel Bishop, Gnarly vines farm
Lynne Githens, Barrington TapIn
Martha Simmons, Looking Upwards
Diana Kushner, Arcadian Fields Organic Farm
Stephen Souls, North Kingstown Food Pantry
Karen Lynch, Your Neighborhood Food Pantry
Jeanne Michon, New Beginnings Inc
Kristen Shields, TAPIN
Jeff Sullivan, Jeff’s HOPE Fund
Sarah Shaw, Jonnycake Center of Westerly
Mia Fishkin, Registered Dietitian, RI Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Timothy Killilea, Rhode Island Sustainable Adventures
Susan Trencansky, Curriculum Fix, LLC
Kathleen Egersheim, We Heart Lives
Berl Jonathan Mendel, Jon Mendel Sound
Mark Garofalo, Fire Works Catering
Jody Lisberger, The University of Rhode Island
Jennifer Emerson, Barrington United Methodist Church/ Tapin
Julia Taylor, Golden Root Gardening Inc
Paul Kubiski, Bootblack Brand
Mary-Kate Kane, Aquidneck Community Table
Sally Hanchett, Channing Memorial Church
Garrett Lockhart, The Margot Group, LLC
Taylor Erkkinen, The Brooklyn Kitchen
James Corwin, RI School Recycling Project
Ann Pierce, St Johns Food Bank
Erin Dube, Pawtucket School Committee
Heidi Carla, Cranston Public Schools
Laura Elderkin, Looking Upwards
Kate Venturini Hardesty, University of Rhode Island
Teddi Jallow, Refugee Dream Center
Mary Anne Crittenden, St John’s Lodge Food Bank
Claire Bowen, Small World Farm, LLC
Kristin Jahne, La Belle Peche coffee roasters
Andraly Horn, Open Farms Retreat
Stefani Weber, Coventry Community Food Bank
Maureen Maloney, Sacred Cow Granola
Annajane Yolken, Project Weber/RENEW
Kathryn, President, Providence Lions Club
Emlyn Addison, Cookies and Robots
Mark Federico Jr, Narragansett Creamery
Patricia Cawley, North Kingstown Schools
Adrienne Marchetti, PAWTUCKET SOUP KITCHEN
Scott McGee, Gator’s Pub
Jeannine Casselman, MLPB
Sam Burgess, Forge To Table Inc
Shira Hirshberg, All Foods Nutrition
Rosa Dalomba, Pop Porium of RI
Maria Rivera Saillant, West Warwick Public Library
Carla Doughty, Zero Waste Providence
Nwando Egbuche Ofokansi, The WATCH Coalition
Marilyn Mathison, Hope & Main
Harry Rosenblum, Eating with the Ecosystem
Patrick Baur, University of Rhode Island
Melissa Pena, West End Community Center
Sam Shepherd, Southside Community Land Trust
Sienna Viette, Open Farms Retreat
Shana Santow , Southside Community Land Trust
Tammy Kim, Southside Community Land Trust
Eden Casteel, Kingston Congregational Church, Kingston RI
Kakeena Castro, Southside Community Land Trust
B. Baba, Epic Renewal
Amelia Lopez, Southside Community Land Trust
Steve Maciel, 1 of 52 Hunger Network
Kymara Mary Owusu, CAPP Food Pantry
Warren Heyman, RI School Recycling Project
Ester Bishop, Gnarly vines farm
Nikki Ayres, Farm Fresh RI
Lily Harding, Farm Fresh RI
Thomas Niemeyer, Hope’s Harvest
Alexander Brown, Brown University
Gemma Gorham, Rhode Island Food Policy Council
Annie Munro, UMass Dartmouth
Lauren Armstrong, Hope Harvest
Linda Vaughan-Dubois, Hope’s Harvest
Charles Bucciantini, Johnson & Wales University
Philip Fong, URI Master Gardener
Tirza Rivera-Cira, Barrington Tap-In, Inc (Touch a Person in Need)
Shannon Hickey, Farm Fresh RI
Griffin Kinch, Brown University
Erica Woods, I AM EMPRESS/Stone River House
Christine Sieczkiewicz, Jonnycake Center of Westerly Giving Garden volunteer
FRN @ Brown Brown University
David Veloso, Brown University
Beth Herman, URI Master Gardener
Frances Brunault, Jonnycake
Jan Fedyszyn, Brown University
Laurie Ward, Tap In (food pantry serving East Providence, Bristol, Warren, Barrington)
Jamie Taylor, Jonnycake Center of Westerly
Cindy Baker, Hope’s Harvest
Neha Narayan, Brown University
Dawn Cardace, University of Rhode Island
Florence, Tap-In
Elizabeth Clark, Tap-In food pantry
Patricia E Lang, East Bay Food Pantry
Marie Carreiro, Tap-In
HOWARD BOKSENBAUM, TAPIN
Joyce Rongo, TapIn
Judith George, Westerly Food Pantry Volunteer
Cindy Shetlet, JonnyCake of Westerly
Jean Giorgio, TapIn
Jerry Hmm, TAPIN
Kathy Humm, TapIn
Claire Thayet, Jonnycake of Westerly
M. Dawn King, Brown University
Elizabeth C Champlin, TAPIN
Shari Friedman, Tap-in Food Pantry, Barrington
Trish Sylvester , Tapin
Judie Sky, Meadowbrook Waldorf School
Caroline Bray, Hopes Harvest
Kelly Nevins, Women’s Fund of Rhode Island
Anne Gass, TAPIN
Nikki Lee, Dandy Lion Farm
Maureen Pearlman, Farm Fresh RI
Phoebe Hong, Brown University
Nancy Reiter, Farm Fresh RI
Holly Darby, Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Kunzang Namgyal, Brown University
Nell Paye, Askiya
Susan Holmes, TAPIN
Don Miller, Tapin
Alison Kutcher, URI
Karen Orabona, URI
Linda Bainer, TAP-IN
Addy Kerwin, Brown U
Chloe de Campos, Brown University
Lillian Lau, Farm Fresh RI
Karen Naff, URI Food Recovery Program
Lisa Kennedy,Tri-County Community Action Agency
Jo Rodehorst, TapIn inc.
Emma Weech, Brown University
David Goldstein, TMD Group
Anne Cohen
Diane Madsen, Hopes Harvest
Lynne Turnbull
Christine Stamm, Johnson & Wales University
Catherine Gutowski, Brown University
Sarah Denby, TAP-IN
Alex Larson, PACE-Rhode Island
Sammie Paul, MEANS Database
Shonan Jackson, Farm Fresh RI
Bevan Linsley, Aquidneck Community Table
William Michael McNamara
Rita Garland, St. John’s Lodge Food Bank
Rita Logan, St John Food pantry.
Zoe Ritter, Barrington High School
Donna E. Matthews, St. John’s Lodge Food Bank, Inc.
Genevieve Primeau, Farm Fresh RI
Kate Lacouture, Green Circle Design
Mary Studlick, Hopes Harvest
Ally Jennings, Farm Fresh RI
Rosemary Galiani, R. Gal’s Workroom LLC
Dani Paradiso, WSU
Kiffen Ratkevich, Farm Fresh RI
Ellen Asermely, Southside Community land Trust
Jennifer Krueger, Jonnycake Center for Hope
Nikki Vazquez, Aquidneck Community Table
Denise Greene, West End Community Center
Sophia, The Farmlink Project
Camille Aquino, Brown University
Eric Siles, Mediamax Network
Jack Diaz, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Lauren D. Armstrong, Esq., Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Meghan Hobbs, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Franca Hobbs, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Phil Chisholm, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Allison Montagnon, Rhode Island Food Policy Council / Red Tomato
Nancy Moloney, Food Recovery for Rhode Island
Kim Walsh, URI FOOD RECOVERY/Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Jennifer Keiser Voas, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine and Franklin Farm volunteer
Fanny Haidemenos, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
Laura Lopata, URI Master Gardener
Peter Letendre, The Lighthouse Shop, Riverside Congregational Church
Heather Latino, Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic
Lina Roman, CHWARI
Lorenzo Macaluso, Center for EcoTechnology
Johanna Corcoran, We Share Hope
Josephine St John
Niyeti Shah, Food Systems Collaborative
Regina Anderson, Food Recovery Network
Anna Casador, Eric Medeiros Memorial Foundation
Dave Binns, Real Estate
Robyn
Aoife Bird
Jillian Torgan
Gail F Rao
Jenn Brady
Sara Nugent
Meloiza Escobar
Soraya Depowski
Caitlin Mandel
Katherine Lagasse
Robert Depowski
Stephanie Pike
Justin McGowan
Lisa Bowe
Heather Bovenzi
Lori Remington
Angela Siracusa
Dylan Roche
Haichi Fuerman
Myrth York
Tatiana Bianchi
Kelsey Rogers
Christy
Alan Laroche
Ella Kilpatrick Kotner
Matthew Walsh
Beth Cotter
Kris Senecal
Nicholas Kaufman
Kirstin Borczynski
Susan Lataille
Natalie Morris
Donna Lubrano
Karam Yoo
Tara Lynn Cimini
Renee Chicoine
Michelle Ginsburg
Kate Lohman
George Belezos
Kelly Andreoni
Lindsey Brierly
Stin
Katherine Notley
Sherry Diaz
Maggie Longo
Carrie Best
Katherine Straus
Marcus Berley
Katie Morgan
Shayna Shields
Beth Cabral
Nancy Kellner
Jordan Ramos
Elise Swearingen
Jamie Matthews
Kristen Milette
Kellie Fassbender
Dan Baudouin
Deborah Thurston
Dung Dang
Aliya Johnson
Christine Mendonca
Delite
Rev. DL Helfer
Elisabeth Moore
Richard Wong
Theresa DeChiaro
Mark Buckley
Clay Rockefeller
Abygail Ollila
Perel Hana B.Sessler
Judith Schmaltz Crowley
Michela Serrano
Lien Cornwell
Roslyn Birke
Janice Oldmeadow
Jayme Boucher
Ellen Cynar
Sally Grimaldi
Victoria
Donna J. Raboin
Laurie Wessel
Julianne Burgess
Jose Sousa
Tammy Sisson
Margaret Wesley
Mary Hill
DJ Hill
Chelsea Paulhus
Timothy Cheng
melissa Tiernan
Ciri Haugh
Anna Saccoccio
Judith Nudelman
Judy Ortman
Cristiane
Ann E Hoffman
Alyssa Crowder
Cynthia Clark
Meg Battersby
Daisy Bassen MD
Marilyn Maxwell
Sarah Browder
Andrea Epstein
Michelle Galzin
Lindsay Neagle
Kristen Angelos
Veronica J. Palermo
Amy Albert
Adam Kotin
C. T. Giliberto
Ernestine Hanly
Sue Hart
John F Perrigo
Joanne Dorrance
Kristen Cashman
Lelia Stokes Weinstein
Nat Royer
Narayan Sankaran
Mridula Menon
Christine Heart-Skaggs
Tracy Hall
Donna Andreozzi
Melanie Noll
Richelle Topping
Katherine Griswold
Kevin Bostrom
Rachael
Sarah French
Sari Greebe
Marlene B Yang
Josselyn
Blaire Byg
Tammy Cahill
Jean Stoddard
Meagan Himm
Earlene Hines
Allison Fong
Deborah Giordano
Douglas Alexander
Michelle Viveiros
Waymon R. Hinson
Nathan Rush
Hillel O’Leary
Shane Garcia
Karen Grant
Janet Bralove
Tiffany Ragan
Julie White
Gabrielle E Torphy
Louise Spear
Ashley Stover
Katherine D Jones
Shonna Dowers
Arlene DiSalvo
Anna Perricci
Casey
Richard Schweid
Judith Ryan
Carol Lisi
Chyleene O’Connor
Ann Walsh
Jenna Conley
Katherine Brown
Sophie Levine
Marcy Feibelman
Donna Rochino
Judith Titzel
Ann D. Twomey
Kally Morozin
Kelly Clifton
Ellen Reilly Weeks
Ann Lewis
DeeAnn Guo
Leidy Olivo
Karen Longeteig
Lori Ann Hiener
Wendy Sheehan
Sheila Fluet
Carolyn Winter
JAMES KEVIN MURPHY
Phyllis Buckley
Ethan White
Marc Doherty
Marlena Paulson
Beth Daigle
Sasha
Kristine M Cooney
Hillary Gibbs
Deirdre Robinson
Sarah Weedon
Ellen Stahl Parker
Kim
Anika Kreckel
Nicole LeBoeuf
Patricia Meneguzzo
A. Finkle
Tracy Hewat
Judith Stokes
Judith Seplowin
Jenn Tierney
Deborah Lynn Bloom
Pamela Kilstein
Amy Dunnington
Mary Curtin
Julia Flanders
Debra Erickson-Owens
Susan Marcus
Alex Denisevich
Shannon Moore
Cynthia Bapties
Linda Dacey
Gwyneth Spincken
Susan Flanagan
Michelle Plante
Anna van Lynden
Rebecca Farnlof
Patricia Devereux
Melina Mailhot
Robbin Messersmith
M Catena Bellone
Emily Martin
Aaron Teixeira
Abby titmas
Nic
Sharon J Rowe
Marilyn Sykulski
Megan Palumbo
Gina Lerman
Judi Parman
Kerri Cassino
Peter Morante
Loretta Karpinski
Mary Hodess
Gregory Thuotte
Freya Emerson
Andrew WYNSEN
Stephanie Benedetti
Sara Pollard
Glen Bennett
Katie Byrnes
Jami Star
Colleen Keenan
Kim Silva
Chloe Wingerter
Judy Antonelli
Jeffrey A Sutton
Kim Hunt
Vanessa Carlton
Josephine St John
Diana J. Silvia
Jean Sutton
Kirti Zinjuwadia
Harry Patel
Eileen Dunne
Cal Loiselle
Myles Dworkin
April Dean
Kristie Danos
April Craft
Kelley Kinnicutt
Khristian Riendeau
Samuel Borrello
Howard Cook
Maria Marrocco
Cris Monteiro
Stephen Laible
Brittanii Martin
Audrey Cabral
Rita Bartman
Ataly Aguirre
Colleen Kwedor
Amy Mayer
Onelissa Martinez
Kate Ginder
Erin Cowdell
Daxa Arora
Jennifer Boone
Noreen Drexel
Sarah Rejouis
Rebecca C. Seggel
Zakary Pereira
Vanessa Venturini
Kayleigh Hill
Mary Louise Fazzano
Karen Bryer
Vanessa Urena
Lindy Bergman
Sarah Lavallee
Joan Haas
Veronicka Vega
Jaime Sweeney
Pia Piscitelli
Michael DeRosa
Barbara Bradley
Eva Touhey
Yuvi Cambero
Maureen Brown
Holly Moore
Elizabeth Amaral
Rachel Van Scyoc
Nicole DiPaolo
Ninni Jacob
Martha Boksenbaum
Leah Milan
Currie Touloumtzis
Daniel Fournier
Kathryn McNamara
George L Seavey
Michael Crowley
Susan MacDonald
Erin
Tina Tryforos
Kim Einloth
Swanette Salazar
Ed Generali
Hanna Rogers
Michelle Tourgee Wood
Anyssa Ball
Peggy Edwards
Breanne DeWolf
Rosie Warburton
Kristy Whitcomb
Robin Maya
Douglas Rushworth