This Sunday, seven students at the Campus Kitchen at University of Virginia – the fifth to open in 2010 – will gather in dining services to chop, stir, bake, and serve 100 hot meals to the Salvation Army to celebrate the opening of operations.

The cooking and delivery shifts at the kitchen, and eventually additional hunger relief programming, are a familiar thing for some of the students on campus, and those involved with the Campus Kitchen’s leadership team.  The Hope Community Center in Charlottesville, Va. provides support to inner-city children and families. Many University of Virginia students head programs as part of the leadership team – including a Hope Health Initiative, Hope Grows Garden Network, and a newer endeavor: Hope Cooks!

Nichole Curtis, a Charlottesville resident, translated her love for cooking and giving into a program that would inspire The Campus Kitchen at University of Virginia. The program helps homeless community members get back on their feet by teaching them professional cooking skills through catering events – much like the Culinary Job Training program run by D.C. Central Kitchen, CKP’s parent organization. Several Campus Kitchens run Culinary Job Training programs as well.

Writes Curtis: “Hope Cooks! has been a collaborative effort since June 2008. Mothers, daughters, Cooks!, chefs, UVA students and friends have been a part of the dream.”

Now, UVA students that worked with Hope Cooks! are dreaming up ways to expand hunger relief and education in Charlottesville. We can’t wait to see where they’ll take it.

Post to Twitter