In the Driver's Seat with Anthony Summa
Anthony Summa is a Lovin’ Spoonfuls’ Food Rescue Coordinator (FRC) working in the MetroWest region.
u003cstrongu003eHow long have you been in your current role?u003c/strongu003e
I joined Lovin’ Spoonfuls when it expanded into MetroWest six years ago.
u003cstrongu003eWhat’s the most gratifying part of your job?u003c/strongu003e
I’m a very numbers-focused individual. On heavy days, when our vendors have a lot of product for us, seeing that I was able to pick up and distribute over 3,000 pounds of food really feels great.
u003cstrongu003eWhat’s a myth about food rescue (or rescued food) that you’d like to bust?u003c/strongu003e
The arbitrary nature of date labels drives me crazy. Every time I go to my parents, I check their pantry and take past, and close-dated products home with me, knowing that the food is typically still perfectly safe to eat and that it likely would get thrown out otherwise. [u003ca href=u0022https://spoonfuls.org/news-updates/6630/what-you-need-to-know-about-expiration-dates/u0022u003eRead more about what date labels actually meanu003c/au003e]
u003cstrongu003eWhat’s a strategy you use to stay safe (or patient) behind the wheel?u003c/strongu003e
I try to just remind myself that rushing usually doesn’t save much time, if any at all. Often the people that fly by you end up sitting next to you at the next light anyway.
u003cstrongu003eu003cstrongu003eTell us about one partner – vendor or nonprofit – that inspires you. How come?u003c/strongu003eu003c/strongu003e
Whole Foods Framingham, and in particular, Joseph in receiving, inspires me. This vendor donates a lot of product from all departments, but what always impresses me is how upbeat Joseph is during all of our pickups. Anytime I’ve ever showed up in a bad mood, he always manages to turn it around with just a few words while we work.
u003cstrongu003eIf you weren’t a Food Rescue Coordinator, what would you be doing instead?u003c/strongu003e
If I weren’t an FRC, I think I would be trying to work for a nonprofit in the food insecurity field. The partners we work with are all amazing and I can totally see myself working at one of them.
u003cstrongu003eTell us one little-known fact about you.u003c/strongu003e
I am terrified of heights, but while in Tennessee, we went across the longest pedestrian cable bridge in the country. The middle span, which was made of glass, was around 500 feet above the valley below and swayed significantly from side to side. Yikes!
u003cstrongu003eu003cstrongu003eu003cstrongu003eWhat’s the most wild/wonderful thing you rescued recentlyu003c/strongu003eu003c/strongu003eu003c/strongu003e?
Six-plus years in and I’m constantly picking up new products I’ve never heard of before, like this cherry berry hibiscus-flavored milk.u003cbr/u003eu003cimg alt=u0022u0022 src=u0022https://spoonfuls.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/55.pngu0022 style=u0022width: 200px;u0022/u003e
Learn more about Anthony Summa and the other members of Team Lovin’ on our staff page.