Ben Collier and James Kanoff (The Farmlink Project) - Students Solving Hunger
May 10, 2023
auto_awesome
Ben Collier and James Kanoff, co-founders of The Farmlink Project, discuss their movement to combat hunger. They share their journey from college students to delivering 100 million meals across North America. They highlight the importance of starting small and reflect on their mission and accomplishments. They also address the issue of food waste and hunger in the US, discussing challenges and strategies for growth. The speakers talk about making tough decisions, bringing on paid experts, and rebuilding culture. They emphasize the value of defining values and building community and discuss the importance of a learning mindset and leveraging knowledge from others.
Farmlink Project started by connecting farmers with surplus food to local food banks using a U-Haul truck during the pandemic.
Community plays a significant role in driving collective action and instilling a sense of purpose in a social entrepreneurship mission.
Involving the community in decision-making processes and maintaining transparency helps build consensus and maintain trust in scaling a social entrepreneurship venture.
Deep dives
Starting small and making a difference
Ben Collier and James Kanoff, co-founders of the Farmlink project, share their journey of starting a student-led movement to address food waste and hunger during the pandemic. They began by renting a U-Haul truck to connect farmers with surplus food to local food banks. Despite initial challenges, the project gained momentum and expanded nationwide, with thousands of students delivering millions of meals. The team is now focused on scaling their impact and making nutritious food accessible to everyone.
The power of community
Farmlink fostered a strong sense of community among its team members, attracting dedicated volunteers who were willing to drop internships and even leave school to be a part of the mission. The founders highlight the importance of community in driving collective action and instilling a sense of purpose. They emphasize how putting the group first can create a powerful sense of unity and motivate individuals to make a meaningful impact.
Unpopular decisions for long-term growth
The founders discuss the challenges of making unpopular decisions as they scaled Farmlink. They highlight the significance of involving the community in the decision-making process to build consensus and maintain transparency. By providing people with an opportunity to voice their concerns and being willing to listen, they were able to maintain trust and foster understanding, even with decisions that initially met with opposition.
Building a self-sustaining business model
Farmlink sought to create a financially sustainable model while making a positive impact on food waste and hunger. They found ways to incentivize farmers without paying for the food itself, focusing instead on covering transportation costs and providing other benefits. Additionally, they explored initiatives such as a tax program and a carbon offset program that could generate revenue to support their mission.
Lessons for aspiring social entrepreneurs
The founders reflect on their experience and offer advice to aspiring social entrepreneurs. They emphasize the importance of starting small, building a strong community, and over-communicating the mission. They also encourage entrepreneurs to learn from others in the field and approach problem-solving with a humble and curious mindset.
Ben Collier and James Kanoff are two co-founders of The Farmlink Project, a student-led movement that has provided over 100 million pounds of nutritious food to communities facing hunger in the United States. They started the project out of their college dorm rooms at Brown and Stanford University during the pandemic by renting a U-Haul truck to connect farmers with surplus to their local food bank. In this presentation, Collier and Kanoff share Farmlink’s story and how they have led the rapidly growing nonprofit through successes and struggles.
—-----------------------------------
Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://ecorner.stanford.edu/give.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode