What we didn’t expect: watching student-led Campus Kitchens take the lead in partnering with farmers markets to bring fresher food to those who can’t afford it.

More Campus Kitchens are committed to working with farmers markets than ever. This new farmers market drive came just in time for United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to proclaim August 7 – 13, 2011 National Farmers Market Week.

Over the past 11 years, since the USDA first announced a week celebrating the direct farmer to consumer passage of food, the number of farmers markets has grown 150 percent.

The Farmers Market Coalition Website reports: “As these numbers increase, farmers markets are bolstering local economies, improving community health, and bringing diverse groups of people together in a shared social space.”

Campus Kitchens recognize this value and make farmers markets a regular part of their summer programming.

The Campus Kitchen team at Augsburg College recently kicked off its third year of hosting its own farmers markets, both on-campus and off. Students invite a local population of Hmong farmers to sell at the markets in addition to manning a campus-run booth; dually bolstering the local economy and nutrition.

Adams County Fresh Farm Markets

At Gettysburg College, the Campus Kitchen recently strengthened its relationship with the Adams County Fresh Farm Markets through its innovative Fair Share Project, which used CSA donations to help fund a farmers market voucher program for individuals who did not quite qualify for food stamps, but could not afford fresh food.

One of the newest Campus Kitchens at Kent State University recently began a partnership with Haymaker Farmers Markets, a local food powerhouse that immediately began donating unsold food like sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs for inclusion in cooked-from-scratch meals, served to Kent Social Services.

Other Campus Kitchens are also just starting or hard at work cultivating relationships with farmers markets including: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, University of Virginia, and Gonzaga College High School.

Does your Campus Kitchen work with farmers markets? Share your story in the comments section below.

A big thank you from The Campus Kitchens Project for all those farmers market people who take the time to partner with our Campus Kitchens!

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The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College always strives to provide healthy meals to its partners, but this time they took health one step further. Actually, they took it thousands of steps.

Thanks to grant money for Martin Luther King semester of service programming, the Campus Kitchen hosted The 10,000 Step Challenge in partnership with The Circles Initiative, a community partner that the Campus Kitchen serves weekly dinners to.

The challenge: increase your average number of steps per day by 500, which equals about one quarter mile. The slow increase in steps, which could increase walking by an average of 2 miles a day, is meant to show that making small, realistic changes over time can produce long-term results.

The Circles Initiative armed group leaders and allies with pedometers and a log for exercise notes. Walkers set off strolling, meeting weekly to discuss challenges and results. During those meeting times, Campus Kitchen volunteers served healthy meals. Another community partner, Gettysburg Hospital, also sent a Diabetes Educator to provide the nutrition component to the program.

When all 35 walkers finally stopped their pedometers in mid-May, everyone successfully increased their steps per day. The winner increased her steps by 2.25 miles a day.

More than number of steps, the Campus Kitchen program changed the behavior of participants. Some reported they found themselves walking around their houses more at night or on their treadmills at work and called the program addicting – in a good way.

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Congratulations to students from the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College for pulling from behind and raising a total of $3,752.44 to help the student-led hunger fight in their community.

The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College followed an innovative game-plan to earn the Tournament Champs title. They focused their online fundraising efforts on a new program: The Fair Share Project. The project uses donated CSA shares from local farms to earn money for providing fresh produce in Campus Kitchen meals. The extra money earned for March Matchness will supplement the amount of fresh produce the Campus Kitchen can provide.

Supporters of the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College also used social media to rise to the number one March Matchness slot. They reached out to the admin of their Gettysburg College Facebook Page, and saw their Firstgiving fundraising page tweeted on the Gettysburg College account. Both appeals to a larger audience immediately spurred the Gettysburg community to support their college and show their university’s ability to give back.

What were some of your successes or obstacles in our first ever March Matchness campaign? Share your advice below.

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Megan worked closely with the national office to develop her leadership skills.

*Written by Megan Crowe, AmeriCorps VISTA, Capital Area Food Bank

A CKP blog post by Taylor Reno a few weeks ago  caught my eye: “CKP Prepares Students for a Future in the Food World”.  I decided to read on and became further intrigued when I saw the picture just below the title – I took that picture!  I was hooked, I had to read this.

In her post, Reno writes, “Your work with The Campus Kitchens Project could guide you to your future career whether you started working with Campus Kitchen because you love to cook or have a passion for social justice.”

For me, it was neither.  I was led to the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College because:

1) I needed a summer job

2) They were hiring someone to develop their nutrition programs and nutrition was a field I had recently decided I wanted to pursue.

After working with the Campus Kitchens Project for two years, I left with a love of cooking and a passion for social justice. I also left with much, much more. Campus Kitchens equipped me with the skills to confidently walk into a job interview and prove to the employer that I was the right person for the job.

Have you…

Recruited, trained, and retained volunteers?  Check, check, and check.

Juggled several tasks at one time and completed them on schedule?  Sure, I’ve done it.

Worked with community-based agencies to expand the reach of a program and created/maintained partnerships?  Ohhh yea.

Coordinated courses?  Managed the classroom?  Worked with diverse participants?  All the time.

And here’s my favorite.  Maintained accurate records?  Captured program through photos and video?  Completed reporting and paperwork on a timely basis?  Yup, thanks Ariel.

I could go through a job’s list of duties and relate each of them to something I had done with the Campus Kitchen.

So what did I do with CKP, and what do I do now?

I worked with the Campus Kitchens Project at Gettysburg College for two years, starting as a summer intern charged with developing a nutrition program to run over the summer months.  After the summer I was hired to continue my work as the Nutrition Program Coordinator, and that summer nutrition program turned into something that occurred every semester. The program, “Green Goodies”, taught students about nutrition, food justice, farming, and food waste, to name a few.

We utilized resources we had around us at the college and in the community, planning field trips each lesson to places like the on-campus garden, the college dining hall, the food pantry, the local grocery store, and the senior center.

I also led cooking shifts to provide meals to the senior center on Fridays.  I especially liked leading shifts between September and December because it was apple season!  I loved making applesauce from scratch for the seniors and loved teaching volunteers how easy it was to make.

I currently work at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington D.C. coordinating Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters™ program.  This innovative nutrition program helps families by teaching them how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals and receive the most nutrition from a limited budget.  My day to day duties include things like gathering food and cooking materials for courses, recruiting and managing culinary and nutrition volunteers to teach courses, and maintaining relationships with course sites in the D.C. Metro area.

My job is an AmeriCorps position, a program I highly recommend to anyone interested in a career in social justice. As an Americorps member, I am able to pursue something I love to do while at the same time gain valuable skills and experience in my desired field.  AmeriCorps opportunities are growing, see for yourself!

Campus Kitchens was a great jumpstart to my future. Working with CKP allowed me to explore issues I had never previously encountered, move out of my comfort zone, learn that I loved working with a community, and gain invaluable skills that helped me land a job after I graduated in May 2010.  I’ve benefited from a great network of CKP support with passionate individuals who are eager to help you in any way possible.

Three years ago I never would have thought I would love cooking or be passionate about social justice, but Campus Kitchens can do that to you.

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Many Campus Kitchens already put together activities to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Some are already thinking ahead to the next Turekypalooza.

For those looking to add some spice weekly to meal preparations this winter, we’ve gathered some dates for planning ahead to your next awareness-building event.

Event: Heart and Soul (Valentine’s Day)

Dates: February, the week of Valentine’s Day

Origin: The Campus Kitchens Project network (This used to be a network-wide event)

Description: Campus Kitchens provide Valentine’s-themed meals to their clients, but they don’t fill those meals with the expected sweets and chocolate. Instead Campus Kitchens like St. Louis University provide heart healthy soul food options as a way to promote healthier eating in their community. They take nutrition education one step further, providing personalized Valentine’s greeting cards and healthy soul food recipes to their clients in an effort to feed and spread the love.

Event: Earth Day

Dates: April 22

Origin: The Earth Day Network

Description: Each year, Earth Day marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Celebrate your latest Campus Kitchen milestone (whether its 1000 meals served or 10,000) by throwing an outdoor, food-inspired event in an area of campus with lots of foot traffic. Last year, the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College hosted a 10 Ton Relay event to coincide with Earth Day, and challenged students to meal service-themed activities to celebrate 10 tons of food recovered.

Event: National Campus Sustainability Day

Dates: October 20

Origin: Campus Sustainability Planning Network

Description: Tap into green group homes, environmental majors, and those interested in furthering sustainability on your campus by hosting a campus-wide fair, documentary screening or awareness day, sponsored by your Campus Kitchen. The sustainability planning network could help with ideas on how to use this day to your advantage, but check out what the University of Georgia or University of North Carolina did last year for more ideas.

Event: National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week

Dates: November 14 – 20

Origin: Co-sponsored by: National Coalition for the Homeless and
National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness. (View the Manual.)

Description: Each year, one week before Thanksgiving, a number of schools, communities and cities take part in a nationwide effort to bring greater awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness. The Campus Kitchen is a perfect vehicle to bring awareness since you deal with both! Whether its placing signs informational signs on the quad like the Campus Kitchen at University of Florida, or holding a week of food awareness events similar to the Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University’s “Wake Up to Food Week”, use the time to show your college that Campus Kitchens combat more than just hunger.

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EBT Sign in Los Angeles, California

Think food stamps and envision lines at the local grocery store with people buying fresh produce items and ingredients for healthy, affordable, family-style meals. The last place we expect to see food stamps used is down the street at the local fast food chain.  I was shocked when I first noticed the sign reading “EBT Welcomed” in the window of a Los Angeles Burger King.

Recently, in many U.S. counties, that’s exactly what you’ll see.

Since 2005, participating fast food restaurants have accepted Food Stamps  (termed SNAP benefits) in Los Angeles County for the disabled, homeless and elderly.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provides benefits to those that qualify via EBT electronic benefits transfer. SNAP allows recipients to buy groceries from participating stores. Recipients must only purchase food items that are authorized by SNAP.

Typically, EBT users cannot swipe their cards for pre-made hot meals. But now, many counties in California, Arizona, Florida, and Michigan, are now allowing SNAP benefits to be used towards the purchasing meals in restaurants.

Many attribute this shift to lack of access to kitchens by homeless individuals. Some argue the elderly and disabled may have trouble cooking from fresh ingredients typically allowed by SNAP. This change in rules in Los Angeles County takes these individuals’ needs into consideration, but may do more harm then good.

Restaurants that now accept EBT in Los Angeles include:

• Subway
• El Pollo Loco
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Jack in the Box
• Burger King
• Pizza Hut

These eateries have menus that offer a wealth of food high in fat and sugar and low in nutritional value.

The elderly and homeless need options that are nutritious and easily accessible. People deserve hot meals, which is why all of the Campus Kitchens provide meals for those that are most at risk, including: the homeless, elderly, and disabled.  The Campus Kitchens Project is helping those with no access to a kitchen or with physical or mental handicaps. Student leaders recognize these volunteers may not benefit from groceries alone.

In addition, the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College has made is possible to use EBT cards at their local farmers market with help from the food council in Adams County. Their oversight of the machine allows those who qualify for EBT and have access to kitchens the ability to buy fresh and healthy produce and food.

Ask at your local farmers market if they accept EBT. If they don’t, see what you can do to bring them there, so that lawmakers can start promoting SNAP benefits used on fresh and local product rather than nutrient-lacking fast food.

To read more about the work that the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College and all of the other Campus Kitchens are doing read our Annual Report.  http://www.campuskitchens.org/national/images/files/financials/ckp_2009ar.pdf

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We’ve heard of Campus Kitchens recovering food from dining services and local grocery stores. Many also pick up food from restaurants and campus gardens.

One Campus Kitchen recently became the first in The Campus Kitchens Project network to gain food donations from a medical facility.

The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College will receive more than 500 pounds of food donations – including soups, casseroles, and catering leftovers – from Gettysburg Hospital by the end of the year.

Gettysburg Hospital has served the communities of Adams County for more than 80 years, but with the recent Campus Kitchen partnership, the hospital helps serve even more. The hospital’s food service partner, Nutrition Management Services, works with the kitchen to donate unused food for hot meals received weekly by the local community.

The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College also recently began a partnership with a local 7-11, recovering perishable items before they become food waste.

Open since November 2007, the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College has recovered over 28,000 pounds of food and served more than 15,000 meals to the residents of Adams County.

Read more about the hospital partnership at the hospital’s web site here.

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Though the gray Mid-Atlantic day brought the event indoors, Sigma Chi’s 4th Annual Chili Cook Off was full of colorful entries.

The  fraternity brothers brought together more than 15 teams to participate in this competition and more than 200 students and staff came through to enjoy. All proceeds from the event went to support the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College.

The makers of the Campus Kitchen’s chili entry were a little nervous because this was their first time delving into the great wide world of chili. They had nothing to worry about, though, as their flavors were rich and everyone lined up to enjoy. Next to the Campus Kitchen crock pot was a delicious “Indian Chili” filled with cumin, coriander, curry leaves and all of the other great spices that make Indian cuisine so tasty. The flavors and the consistency were very similar to the classic Dal Makhani.

The “Meat Lovers” entry ran out in the first 1/2 hour. “Trail of Tears” was extra spicy and was accompanied by a delicious tomatillo salsa. “Eat Me,” the day’s winner, featured an awesome mix of chicken, beans and other special ingredients (like “love”) that made it such a favorite. Of course, the avocado and onion condiment sweetened the deal. The honorable mention went to “Down on the farm,” which mixed cow, chicken and goat meat!

The rainy day set the perfect stage for chili enjoyment and everyone who decided to buy a $5 all-you-can-eat bowl was happy with that choice. Best of all, the event raised more than $1500 to support the operations of the Campus Kitchen at  Gettysburg College! Sounds like a sweet deal.

If you are interested in running a similar program at your school, don’t hesitate to contact the CKP national office or the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College.

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In addition to regular farmer’s market pickups and gleaning trips, Devan produced a short video that would serve as an invaluable tool for the first community partner CKGC served meals to: the Adam’s County Circles Initiative.

A national organization, the Circles Initiative allows families living in poverty to serve as the “Circle” leader and set up goals with middle class allies, who are trained by the organization to provide support. The support is enhanced by weekly meetings where different curriculum is explored. The Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College dishes out all the meals for these community dinners.

To take their involvement with Circles one step further, in true CKGC fashion, Campus Kitchen supervisor Kim Davidson had formulated an idea for a educational video explaining “The Gap” many Circles families experience as their income rises, they pay more in taxes, and lose more benefits that allow them access to basic needs

Grote picked up the idea and made it a reality, following a fictional family trying to rise out of poverty and experiencing “the slide” of lost benefits as income rises. The graphical representation of “The Gap” brings it back to reality for the viewers.

Wondering just what “The Gap” looks like? Watch Grote’s video below.

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Enjoy!

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