Clara Johnson ’26

by Clara Johnson ’26 on October 9, 2025

---

Francesca Bambara and the Food Recovery Program

Every Wednesday and Friday at 7:30 a.m., Providence College student Francesca Bambara ’26 can be found behind the wheel of a massive 12-passenger van. If you ask her about it, she will tell you how much of a pain it is to maneuver the massive vehicle. She will also humbly explain that she is driving leftovers from Raymond Dining Hall to the Providence Rescue Mission as a part of the Food Recovery Program.

The Food Recovery Program was initiated last year by Jazzlynn Goncalves ’25. Goncalves had an initial vision to build a community fridge at the Wanskuck Community Library as her project for her fellowship with the Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy Lab. She partnered with ECOPC, PC’s environmental group, where she first connected with Bambara to collaborate on this project.

The group quickly realized that the community fridge initiative would take a long time to get off the ground. Unsatisfied with waiting, they partnered with the Providence Rescue Mission, a local Catholic non-profit that provides both food and shelter to local folks experiencing homelessness. The food Bambara provides often serves as the base for the meals they serve in their soup kitchen.

When Goncalves graduated, she left the Food Recovery Program in good hands. Bambara has joined the DID Lab and, in continued partnership with ECOPC, she keeps the vision of the community fridge alive. She is currently working with the Wanskuck Library to submit a budget and build a network of local restaurants and businesses for the community fridge. In the meantime, she continues to drive the van, ensuring that folks are getting the nutrients they need.

Bambara’s leadership of the Food Recovery Program is far from her first foray into social justice. She has always loved to build connections with people. When she arrived at PC, she quickly learned through her classes that she could do that by studying global studies and sociology. Bambara’s passions have led her to want to become a human rights and immigration lawyer.

When asked why she is driven to do this work, she replied, “Somebody has to do it. Whatever you’re good at, whatever you are passionate about—that’s what you should do.” Bambara lives that concept out in her life, using her talents and abilities to serve and advance justice.

As a part of her passion for justice, Bambara decided to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. She overcame her fears in order to improve her Spanish and grow in her ability to help and serve others. While there, she worked for Helsinki Hispania, a human rights nonprofit named for Spain’s declaration of human rights. Through this work, she gained a diverse and global perspective on social justice.  

Bambara has also spent her college career as a member of ECOPC, and she currently serves as one of the co-presidents.

When I asked about her extensive range of passions, she told me, “When I think about social justice, everything just overlaps. You can’t care about one thing without thinking about another. You can’t care about immigration without thinking about society and culture. You can’t think about sustainability without thinking about racial justice.”

Bambara’s perspective on how intertwined people are and the connection within these issues is evident in her diverse work. PC is certainly fortunate to have a student like Bambara, who wakes up earlier than most students would ever consider to lug pounds and pounds of food, saving it from the landfill and serving our community.