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Lindsay Clowes and Laurel Schut (pictured, L & R) hadn鈥檛 even graduated from the Master of Environmental Studies program when they dug into an ambitious initiative. 鈥淲e defended within two days of each other in April 2016 and officially graduated in October 2016,鈥� says Schut. But in May, the two launched FOUND, an organization that harvests and donates what they refer to as 鈥渇orgotten鈥� food.

Both women鈥檚 backgrounds led them to this project. Schut drew inspiration from outside academia: before moving to Halifax from Ontario, she says, she volunteered with Hidden Harvest Ottawa, a 鈥渇ruit-sharing social business enterprise鈥� in which volunteers pick fruit and nuts from around the city that would otherwise be wasted. 鈥淚 was surprised that nothing similar existed in Halifax,鈥� says Schut.

In the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES), both Schut and Clowes completed thesis work related to agriculture: Clowes examined agricultural land use planning in King鈥檚 County, Nova Scotia, and Schut looked at the effects of pollination from kept or wild bees on agricultural production. While neither thesis was directly related to food waste, both exposed the students to it. 鈥淒uring the course of our research projects, we saw considerable food waste in the agricultural sector,鈥� explains Schut. This led them to hatch an initiative similar to Hidden Harvest, 鈥渂ut we decided to expand the idea from just harvesting local fruit trees to include connecting with farmers, farmers鈥� markets and local residents who have their own gardens,鈥� she says.

By the time Clowes and Schut defended their theses, they were ready to act on their plan to save food and benefit others. They started FOUND as an organization to harvest food that would otherwise be wasted. Schut and Clowes鈥攁nd now a few more team members鈥攃ollect food left behind due to the inefficiencies of mechanical harvesters or to low demand, or unsold produce that is thrown away because of its short shelf life. 鈥淲e just completed our first harvest season,鈥� says Schut, 鈥渃ollecting 3,242 pounds of local, fresh produce that would otherwise have gone to waste.鈥� They donated this food to community groups including shelters and food banks.

If there is produce left after their donations, FOUND offers it wholesale to local restaurants, and any still remaining food is preserved to make it shelf-stable. The preserves can then be sold at local markets and stores.

The two women are overwhelmed at the support they鈥檝e received for their organization. 鈥淲hat started as a pet project we thought we could develop slowly quickly exploded as the community became very engaged,鈥� Schut says. She and Clowes are now co-directors of FOUND. The organization has four other core members, including Dirk Xanthos, another SRES graduate, and two more are scheduled to join in 2017. FOUND also has a solid force of approximately 80 volunteers who help to harvest and preserve the forgotten produce.

FOUND has also grown in terms of reach: 鈥淲e鈥檝e made connections and shared programming with many other community groups and stakeholders,鈥� says Schut, 鈥渋ncluding FEED Nova Scotia, the Halifax Public Libraries, Fusion HFX, 黄色直播鈥檚 College of Sustainability and many environmentally minded small local businesses.鈥� Among FOUND鈥檚 growing list of partners is 黄色直播鈥檚 Faculty of Management, where the idea for the organization began. Schut notes too that FOUND has garnered media attention: the organization has been featured by numerous outlets including CBC, CTV, Global, The Coast and Metro.

Even though Clowes and Schut hold other jobs, they continue to log hours with FOUND. (Clowes runs Sprout Marketing, building online communities for small business; Schut coordinates tutorials in the College of Sustainability and teaches yoga and other classes across the city.) 鈥淣o two weeks look the same for us at FOUND but, on average, we each commit approximately 10 hours a week,鈥� says Schut. With their first harvest under their belts and growing support, Clowes and Schut are looking forward to what鈥檚 next for their pet project. FOUND has exceeded their expectations, says Schut鈥斺�渁nd we haven鈥檛 even hit the one-year mark yet!鈥�