Are you all petered-out from paperwork? Coordinators at the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College discovered a more efficient way to manage numbers and names of those who pass through the kitchen – while reducing paper clutter and waste.

The price of going almost paperless: one mini laptop for $290. Kim Davidson, associate director of the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College, says she purchased the computer through Gettysburg College and connected it to the university network for access and maintenance purposes.

“When all of our information was on separate papers it was difficult to utilize it without having to spend many hours entering data into spreadsheets,” wrote Davidson. “Our new system does it automatically.”

When students and community members show up for a cooking or delivery shift, they log on to the mini laptop and enter their information. As shifts wrap up, shift leaders enter donations, meal statistics and the end-of-shift checklist on the shared spreadsheet. The only paper that’s needed in the process: signed volunteer release forms.

Wrote Davidson: “Google documents are very easy to set up! Once we created a Gmail account, we were able to create online forms.”

The Gmail inbox  has a “Documents” link in the left-hand corner. Click on “create new… form.”  This allows you to create and share an online form. Once volunteers submit information through the form, it automatically gets entered into a spreadsheet.

The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College created the following forms through Google Docs:
1) Volunteer information (for first-time volunteers)
2) Volunteer Hours (for every time a person volunteers)
3) Meal Statistics
4) Food Donations
5) Cooking Shift In/Out

They also converted their online volunteer sign up form to this system.
Wrote Davidson “Another benefit is that all the forms and spreadsheets are available online from any computer! Program Coordinators can check who is volunteering on a certain date from their rooms or, if they want to know what we are low on in the kitchen (like hairnets or soap) they can look at the “Cooking Shift In/Out” spreadsheet and order while they are in the office.”

Visit the Google Docs help forum for more on how to set up your own forms online.

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Sodexo was the initial funder behind The Campus Kitchens Project. The food service company is also working to make the food they serve (and give to Campus Kitchens) more sustainable, and Fair Trade friendly. This week Sodexo Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility sat down with thte CEO of TransFair USA (the U.S. Fair Trade certifying agency) and discussed Sodexo’s vision. Video of the live discussion is below.

Some Highlights:

Sodexo: Using Fair Trade products is simply good business. “We’re taking part of the savings we create and investing them in new technologies.” Water-less floor cleaning solutions, anyone?

“Eating, and purchasing, is the new ballot box.”

TransFair: “Farmers aren’t required to go organic. Instead a pricing incentive is built into the model to go organic.”

” Sodexo is sourcing Fair Trade tea from India. Our communities there, thanks to the better price they’re getting from Fair Trade tea, are improving the housing of workers on these farms. They are finally building structures to live in that are more comfortable, safer, and they’re safe from the elements.”

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The Campus Kitchen at University of Massachusetts Boston, will fire up its ovens for an inaugural meal service Wednesday, February 10 to coincide with a university kickoff event.

The Thursday following the event the kitchen begins its first meal service with the help of Sodexo’s David Levine who will offer guidance on techniques and recipes. Initial meals will go to East Zone Early Learning Center with Boston Public Schools, the Campus Kitchen’s first community partner. The kitchen will also soon provide meals to Jumpstart, an organization that brings college students and volunteers together with preschool children in low-income communities.

Students and community members are invited to the  kick-off event, which includes speakers from the university, The Campus Kitchens Project, and The Walmart Foundation with an opportunity to mingle with the people behind the opening of the 21^st Campus Kitchen. And, of course, expect plenty of food.

When: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 3 p.m.

Where: Campus Center Ballroom, 100 Morrissey Blvd., University of Massachusetts Boston 02125

Why: To celebrate the opening of the 21^st Campus Kitchen: the Campus Kitchen at University of Massachusetts Boston

Speakers:

University Chancellor J. Keith Motley

D.C. Central Kitchen CEO Michael Curtin

President of the Walmart Foundation Margaret McKenna

Coordinator Chelsea Goulart and Sodexo's David Levine pose in the kitchen by a giant mixer.

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D.C. Central Kitchen is clearing counter space for summer interns. Campus Kitchen volunteers who are hungry for a professional development opportunity that also combats hunger, may serve as the perfect ingredients.

The positions offer $1000 stipend for college students not receiving credit, and requires generally 20 to 30 hours per week of work. View complete descriptions of internship opportunities here.

Communications Intern: Expand you portfolio of photography, design, and clips while working in a foodie-filled office. Find yourself with a camera lens flush up against a master chef’s preparation of lamb lollipops, interview veteran kitchen staff as they stir vats of pot pie filling, or design a program for a graduation of 20 culinary job training students. You could do all of this and more…

Take a shot like this (i.e. cozy up to Ted Allen, Eric Ripert, and Carla Hall) when culinary judges come for events at the kitchen.

Grantwriting Intern: Grants are what make D.C. Central Kitchen, and The Campus Kitchens Project, tick. Gain real experience, with a hand in each aspect of grant writing. This Intern will help maintain the master grant calendar, research grant prospects, and infuse fresh ideas into the DCCK grant process. This is ideal for a member of the Campus Kitchen with strong organizational skills (ahem… Campus Kitchen coordinators).

Outreach Intern: Every morning, through sunshine, rain, or snow, the First Helping Outreach team serves breakfast to homeless or at risk clients throughout the downtown area, and beyond. The outreach intern will help with breakfast service, connect with clients, and see first-hand how the DCCK outreach crew works with clients after the meal. In addition, interns will come away with two projects: an oral history project, documenting the relations of clients with the program over time, and a cross-comparison of cities and their outreach services.

Culinary Job Training Intern: Help underemployed men and women prepare for careers in the culinary industry. Develop resources for understanding hiring procedures at local food-service employers. Assist in planning events for alumni of the program. Help create cover letters and resumes, to prepare culinary students for interviews. Moreover, if your Campus Kitchen is interested in implementing a similar program, learn first-hand how to do so.

So what are you waiting for Campus Kitchens? Apply!

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It’s days before the Saints and Jets take to the field, throw the ol’ pig skin around, and entertain millions to fill the space between million dollar commercials. For campus kitchens, there’s still time to kick off a more local “Souper Bowl” in honor of game day.

Souper Bowl of Caring is a national movement of schools, congregations, community organizations, and individuals who will use the days leading up to and beyond the Super Bowl, February 7, to impact hunger in their community by collecting monetary or food donations.

Participants register their projects online here – and you can see their impact in a super-cool interactive map here.

The best part about the nationwide initiative: the majority of projects are youth-led. Souper Bowl of Caring also encourages a “service blitz”, where youth take a hands-on approach to serving food to their community on game day.

It’s the perfect way to celebrate America’s sport with more than chips and dip. And something tells us, with a project like this, Campus Kitchens could really score a touchdown.

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How do you translate your work at the Campus Kitchen into a full-time job after you graduate? The Child Hunger Corps – a new collaboration of ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America – might be the two year plan you’re looking for.

August 2010, the first six members of the Child Hunger Corps will roll up their sleeves to work in Feeding America-affiliated food banks while aiding community-based efforts to help end child hunger.

The two year position offers a stipend for living expenses and full benefits with medical and dental, while providing the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the nation’s largest network of food banks and stay in contact with other Corps volunteers.

Feeding America will look for Corps members who can develop a food bank’s capacity and capability for programs targeting childhood hunger while increasing access to nutritious foods at the time children need it most: in the summer, after school, weekends, school holidays, and at home.

Since the program is brand new, they’re only offering it in a few cities:

Little Rock, Arkansas
Ft. Meyers, Florida
Houston, Texas
Grove City, Ohio
Portland. Oregon
Salem, Virginia

Interested in becoming a Child Hunger Corps member? The application only requires a one page resume and two pages of short-answer questions. The deadline to apply is February 26.

View the application requirements and apply here.

Read the official press release here.

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1.29.09: I am a self proclaimed foodie. I think about food constantly. I start planning what to make for dinner as I am eating breakfast. I also love farmers and farming and going to the farmer’s market. But, I never have any idea what food is in season or what kind of produce I can and should be buying locally. So, if you are anything like me, you will greatly appreciate this guide to seasonal produce in the Mid-Atlantic region. This guide was put together by Harvard Medical Schools’ Center for Health and the Global Environment.

It is a color-coded list and each item links to a page that provides you with details about nutrient content, recipes, varieties,  and tips for storage. I also found it eye-opening how long some produce can be stored for! (Keep this in mind if you plan on doing any gleaning this summer for your Campus Kitchen.)      Enjoy!

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Sodexo – a food service company that serves 10 million people daily – will test the waters of fair trade and sustainability issues Wednesday, February 3 (11 a.m. PST) with a live UStream discussion between company officials and TransFair, the U.S. Fair Trade labeling organization.

The Sodexo Foundation, which sponsors hunger initiatives that target the root causes of hunger, was the original funder behind The Campus Kitchens Project in 2001. By Spring of 2010, Sodexo will have funded openings and operations for eight kitchens.

The live chat on UStream allows for video commentary, questions in advance, and a Social Stream via Twitter. See what a national funder of The Campus Kitchens Project, and veteran of food service to millions of people, has to say about Fair Trade and Sustainability – and join the conversation!

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Volunteer with a Campus Kitchen and looking for a post-college internship? Pursuing a career in anything from marketing to finance and design? Thinking of heading out (or back) West?

Tom’s Shoes, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based company, is looking for interns with the leadership qualities of CKP-ers (no really, they sent us an email) to work at their headquarters. The best part: an internship with Tom’s would continue your socially responsible efforts. The company was founded on the “one for one” premise. For every pair of shoes sold, the organization donates one pair to a child who has none.

Looking for more information? View the YouTube video above or visit their headquarters site.

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Auburn University – a Campus Kitchen candidate looking to begin meal operations in early 2011 – steered its hunger relief leadership toward Haiti this month with a donation of $15,000 from the Committee of 19.

The Committee of 19, a student-led coalition against hunger with representatives from 19 student organizations on campus, grew from Auburn University’s selection by the World Food Programme as its lead academic partner in the student-driven War on Hunger campaign.

Why 19? In 2004, when the World Food Programme first recognized Auburn University with the honor, it cost 19 cents a day to feed a school child in the developing world.

Auburn University and the Committee of 19 first connected with The Campus Kitchens Project through Universities Fighting World Hunger. The Committee plans to continue its fundraising efforts for Haiti. Read the full press release here.

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