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Vanessa Venturini
FRRI Co-Founder and Program Leader Cooperative Extension
Mallon Outreach Center
(401)874-2900
vanessa@uri.edu
Amanda Missimer
Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Nutrition, Cooperative Extension
Fogarty Hall, Rm 219
amanda_missimer@uri.edu
News and events
The Providence Journal: URI Knife Night – Learning to chop, sharpen … and cut food waste April 13, 2026 - In a classroom with microwaves and sinks, ranges and ovens and one big science lab island, Sam Burgess shows off the chef's knife his company had forged by hand in China, before putting his whetstone in a pan of water.
Food Recovery for RI’s ‘Basic Knife Skills Class’ with Class of ‘24’s Chef Sam Burgess March 24, 2026 - Chef Sam Burgess, a graduate of the University of Rhode Island Food Recovery for Rhode Island program, will show attendees the ropes of knife safety, cuts, and sharpening in a Cooperative Extension one-night “Basic Knife Skills Class” 
Small Change, Big Impact – University of Rhode Island Magazine February 24, 2026 - On an ordinary afternoon in URI’s Butterfield Dining Hall, silverware clatters over the hum of conversation, and the aroma of freshly cooked food drifts through the air. But tucked away at the dish return station, something new is taking place: Students pause for a moment before rushing off to class, scraping their leftovers into bright yellow bins instead of tossing them in the trash.
Dara Benno Talks Food Recovery in Rhode Island July 24, 2025 - Bill Bartholomew welcomes Dara Benno, an artist and Providence-based designer focused on addressing critical challenges, including environmental issues; she is also a Strategic Design + Research Fellow at RISD. - URI Cooperative Extension program aims to rescue and recycle food by changing the way Rhode Islanders interact with it June 13, 2025 - KINGSTON, R.I. – June 11, 2025 – Applications are open for Food Recovery for Rhode Island at the University of Rhode Island (FRRI), a community education program for Rhode Islanders offered through URI Cooperative Extension. The six-week course includes online coursework and field experiences that can be completed at participants’ convenience.
Biden Administration Awards RI Food Policy Council $18.7M to for Food Waste Project December 18, 2024 - With just over 30 days left, the Biden administration has awarded The Rhode Island Food Policy Council (RIFPC) “a transformational $18.7M grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program.”- EPA awards R.I. nonprofit nearly $19 million to reduce food waste over next three years December 18, 2024 - The Rhode Island Food Policy Council program is expected to train and provide stipends for 500 residents, and keep more than 11,000 tons of food waste out of landfills through donation and composting
Course applications open for Food Recovery for Rhode Island July 9, 2024 - KINGSTON, R.I. – July 9, 2024 – The typical Rhode Islander’s food journey looks like this: shop, store, prepare, discard. Maybe, if they have the skills or know-how, a local consumer might preserve and/or compost their food.