Community colleges are expanding food recovery programs to address student hunger and improve persistence to graduation. The reporting highlights how colleges build recovery pipelines that redirect surplus food toward students, tying basic needs support to institutional student success metrics. As campuses face heightened housing, food, and budget pressures, food recovery efforts increasingly function as a coordination tool—connecting dining services, community partners, and student support units. The impact is measured not only in servings recovered, but also in whether students can remain enrolled and engaged through the term. The emphasis on persistence reflects a shift from short-term emergency response toward sustained wraparound support strategies that aim to reduce attrition drivers. Institutions looking to scale similar efforts are likely to prioritize partnerships, logistics for safe food handling, and integration into advising and early alert workflows so students benefit before they disengage.