Campus Kitchens Celebrate a “Green” Spring with Newman Own Grant, Community Greenhouse and 50,000 Meals

Washington, D.C. – This spring is particularly green for The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) across the country with March bringing new funding, inaugural greenhouse crops and milestone events such as 50,000 meals served.

In 25 cities, CKP partners with high schools, colleges and universities to share on-campus kitchen space, recover unused food from cafeterias, work with local farms and community gardens for produce and engage students as volunteers who plan menus, prepare and deliver meals to the community. Below are “Green” Spring examples from three cities:

• The Campus Kitchen at the University of Vermont won $25,000 from the Newman’s Own Foundation in recognition of their work to alleviate hunger in the Burlington area. Funds will be used to support the Kitchen’s nutrition and gleaning programs, expand its community outreach and nutrition education classes, and supplement operational expenses at The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, which has seen a 20 percent increase in demand for services.

• Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., will celebrate their Campus Kitchen’s 50,000th meal on March 20. Commemorating this important milestone, the Kitchen will host a 5K run on campus. Each decimeter of the run represents a meal prepared and served by student volunteers.

• On March 22, the Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., will host a ribbon cutting and planting ceremony at their new community greenhouse. Kitchen volunteers will be joined by Gonzaga’s President, Dr. Thayne McCulloh, members of the City of Spokane City Council, and local students from Garry Middle School to plant a sustainable, organic garden in the greenhouse that will provide fresh produce for the Kitchens’ meals.

To see what’s happening on a campus near you, visit www.campuskitchens.org.

Now in its ninth year, CKP operates on almost 30 college and high school campuses, providing meals to individuals and families in their communities. Students drive all phases of operations from preparing and delivering nutritious meals to those in need, to the development of funds that maintain and grow the program.

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