Walmart's grant will help these college students transport their meals to agencies further away.

Talk to any operations team at a Campus Kitchen and you’ll hear about one common obstacle.  Food recovery and meal delivery shifts often require transportation for volunteers. But most college students don’t own cars.

At Washington and Lee University, a Campus Kitchen-owned vehicle will help alleviate transportation problems thanks to Walmart Foundation State Giving Program grant. Campus Kitchen Coordinator Jenny Davidson learned her program was awarded the $25,000 grant at the end of June.

The Walmart State Giving Program will reward $2 billion to support hunger relief efforts by 2015.

The Campus Kitchen will also use its award to purchase supplies for and expand its weekend backpack program with two local elementary schools. Every Friday, students return to their lockers to find backpacks full of nutritious snacks for the weekend stuffed anonymously inside their lockers.

All children on free or reduced lunches are eligible to participate in the program and many do. The extra nutrients are meant to fill in for regular school meals during the week that children may not get at home.

In addition to the backpack program, the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee works in an on-campus garden, participates in summer feeding, and serves as the regular pick-up agency for the local Walmart. Students and staff also serve over 600 meals a week.

What the grant will do for the kitchen according to Davidson: “Receiving the Wal-Mart Foundation grant will change CKWL’s operations immensely- Leadership Team members without cars will now be able to step into full responsibility for delivery shifts and we’ll be able to save making multiple runs to receive donations from our local Wal-Mart.  We could not be happier!”

Share on Facebook

But as student leaders and Coordinator Jenny Davidson celebrated the meal goal through regular service to their clients before most students left campus at the end of the year, the Campus Kitchen logged even more impressive numbers and geared up to expand programming.

Over the past five years, the Campus Kitchen recovered 150,000 pounds of food, sending 40,000 to local food pantries like the Natural Bridge Glasgow Food Pantry and Rockbridge Area Relief Association. As the Feeding America designated food recovery organization for Walmart, the Campus Kitchen has helped distribute food that might have been thrown away to the area’s hungry.

After successfully adding a second school to their backpack program – which sends extra snacks home with elementary students on weekends – this year, Campus Kitchen leaders look to expand their reach even further. The Campus Kitchen currently serves 105 children at Natural Bridge and Fairfield elementary schools, but hopes to start serving Central Elementary School in Fall 2011.

In addition to the nutritious meals sent home in backpacks, the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee is gearing up to feed five snacks a week to youth participating in the Lexington, Va. Office on Youth’s summer program.

“Our partnerships with the Office on Youth and the YMCA really allow us to interact with students,” said Davidson. “They give us free reign to go in and do our nutrition programming –  the easiest way to see the impact in the lives of the children we work with.”

Share on Facebook

Thanks to the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee garden volunteering program, and some extra care from university staff, Howard* – a veteran on the verge of losing his home – recently found employment with university dining services.

“When he came out and started volunteering he was close to being evicted and considered living the woods,” said Morten Wendelbo, who coordinates all Campus Kitchen activities at the Washington and Lee garden.

Wendelbo said the Campus Kitchen invites after school programs and summer camps to work in the garden as a way of teaching where food comes from and providing fresh produce for Campus Kitchen meals. But he also began inviting clients like Howard to garden work days because he noticed their desire to give back.

“They can’t contribute monetarily, but they can volunteer with us,” said Wendelbo. “It provides clients a feeling of being responsible for the situation despite the fact they don’t necessarily have the means to do so.”

Read the rest at The Campus Kitchens Project.

*Name Changed for Privacy

Share on Facebook

Campus Kitchens works with a variety of populations – but one group they serve, U.S. war veterans, often goes overlooked.

Then Produce Manager Morten Wendelbro told the story of a U.S. war veteran that he brought to work in the garden at the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee. His resulting display of  hard work in the garden and extra care from university staff landed this veteran a job, and helped him keep his house.

The story got me thinking about whether gardening and farming is a way to economically empower returning soldiers, and if there is an organization out there to help them with the process.

Enter the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, which seeks to help returning veterans find employment, training and place to heal on America’s farms.

The coalition provides direct vocational assistance for men and women after their release from military service by creating a clearinghouse for job opportunities, building a network of educational and training programs, and in some cases providing financing for veterans with previous farming experience. The organization will also work with those returning to urban areas to connect them with nurseries and urban garden projects.

All this comes from a group of individuals who believe returning veterans can help this country’s need for more hard-working people in the field of agriculture, people who may have grown up in rural communities and are already familiar with it.

The veteran that worked at the Washington and Lee Campus Garden now works full time in with university dining services, evidence that jobs in agriculture could grow something great for this country’s war veterans.  And, perhaps, it is evidence that – with help from the Farmer-Veteran Coalition – we’ll see more small farms sprouting up soon.

Share on Facebook

There are a number of plants whose seed packets proclaim that they can go into the ground as soon as the soil is workable (not to be confused with plants that should go in just after the last frost has past). Some of my favorites for early season direct seeding are Spinach, Arugula, Kale, Radish, Carrots, Beets, Chard and Peas! Most of these seeds can go directly from the seed packet into your garden, but some like a little bit of attention to prime them for germination. One great example is peas often appreciate an overnight soaking before going into the ground.

(One quick note: though the soil is definitely workable, at least in the Mid-Atlantic, the early spring temperatures are still lower than a lot of these plants will like. Watch the weather and provide extra warmth for your seeds and soil with mulch or row cover.)

Seed packets will usually tell you how to space your seeds. They will say how many inches apart and how far apart to space the rows. While this is good information to follow, another good rule of thumb is to think about how big the final plant will be and space your seeds accordingly. Radish, for example, are usually 1-2 inches in diameter. If I space my seeds 1 inch apart, the radish will grow (barring any other obstacles) to be 1 inch. You can usually plant your seeds closer together than suggested and then thin the seedlings after they have sprouted (and eat those leaves: on most plants, they are yummy and healthy!). Also, with many crops, growing your plants in staggered groupings rather than rows is an ideal way to pack more into tight space without forcing your plants to compete with one another. Also, you usually want to plant at a depth of around 2-3 times the width of each particular seed, though a little deeper in sandy soil and a little shallower in heavier, clay soils.

At a recent lecture with organic guru Shepherd Ogden, I learned a number of really useful tricks for maximizing small garden space without sacrificing results. One that he reiterated was to “Use your space so you don’t have to care for your space.” By this he reinforced my earlier point about staggering your plantings. When plants grow in rows, there is more space for weeds to sprout and compete for important nutrients. Among other remedies for minimizing your weeds (to be covered in future posts), when plants are staggered, they fill out more space and shade out potential weeds. Just Awesome!

Another tip from Mr. Ogden was the radish carrot combo (pictured at the right). Carrots can be finicky. They like have the right amount of space and they don’t like crusty or rocky soils. To remedy this, he recommends planting your radish right on top of your carrots. Create the small trench for the carrots seeds and place them neatly in a line. Before covering them up with soil, place radish seed throughout the row. Radish are quick growers, so that by the time the radish are ready to be harvested, the carrots are just getting to a point where they need more space. By pulling the radishes out of the ground, you break up the surface of the soil and you provide perfect spacing for your carrots to grow happily into those lovely orange (or purple or yellow) vegetables that we all love to snack on!

His last tip was staggering your salad green planting in such a way that you will be in fresh salad greens all season long (if you play your cards right, from April through December!). Instead of filling a bed with lettuce seed and then being stuck with more mature lettuce than you know what to do with, stagger your plantings (this is becoming a recurring theme). Plant one row (or a few rows) and once those germinate, plant another set of rows. Once the second set germinate, plant a third. Soon, the first will be ready to harvest. Harvest that planting and then plant another. Continue this way until it is too cold to keep planting (or build a cold frame and keep the greens growing throughout the winter!). In the summer, these tender greens may need some shade to help them tolerate the heat, but you can assess that as the seasons move forward!

Morten Wendelbo, the Washington and Lee Campus Kitchen LT member responsible for the garden reported that they planted 3 varieties of peas, beets, radish, collards and lettuce from seed just this past weekend. Soon they will also plant carrots, potatoes and corn. After 3 years of working with the garden project there, Morten is tuned into the garden’s micro-climate, knowing that their season starts a little later and ends a little earlier than other growing operations in the area. They think carefully about what they are planting and when, because they want to make sure people are present to harvest and process crops for best use in the Campus Kitchen. Morten has a wealth of knowledge, so feel free to reach out to him if you have specific questions: wendelbom12@mail.wlu.edu.

Garden blog of the week: Garden Klog, highlighting the gardening adventures of Organic Guru Shepherd Ogden. Its filled with tips for getting the most out of your space and making the most of your time.

In keeping with this weeks theme, Sow On! And happy gardening to all.

Fridays in the Garden is a blog series by The Campus Kitchen Project’s Community Development Coordinator and is designed to provide timely ideas and tips to anyone embarking to garden (at a Campus Kitchen or anywhere). Feel free to contact her with questions at asteiner@campuskitchens.org or leave your thoughts below. Also, follow her on twitter for great gardening thoughts and tidbits: @redheadgardener

Share on Facebook

Every year, the True Hero public charity grants cash awards for high school, college, and youth-based non-profit organizations promoting community and national service through a simple competition: get the most votes for your organization online. Anyone with an email address can vote.

The organization will award $3000 to the top vote-getter, $2000 to second place, and $1000 to the five organizations that come in 3rd through 7th for the college division (other awards are given for high school and community-based divisions.) In addition, True Hero will give $1000 each to the top two service project videos viewed on YouTube.

The Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee (CKWL) – a leader and great example to the Campus Kitchen network – is in the running for this competition. Currently, the project is seventh with 33 votes.

Help your fellow Campus Kitchen rise in the ranks and earn more cash to continue some of its amazing programs, like its partnership with a local clinic to provide low-sodium and low-sugar meals to diabetic patients.

Give CKWL a leg up on the YouTube competition too. Simply watch their most recent promotional video below and earn them a YouTube view – then share this link with all of your friends.

Share on Facebook

The Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University walloped their turkey count from last year, accumulating nearly 150 turkeys to feed Spokane, Washington residents.

In the peak of a regional snowstorm, the Campus Kitchen at Minnesota State University, Mankato, successfully delivered hand-made greeting cards with grocery bags full of all the Thanksgiving fixings.

At the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, the Campus Kitchen connected with five non-traditional student families to prepare entire Thanksgiving meals with all of the trimmings for busy single parents to heat and serve.

For their first-ever Turkeypalooza, the Campus Kitchen at University of Massachusetts Boston pulled off a successful “Take your Turkey to Work Day”.

The Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee fed clients of all ages and backgrounds in honor of Turkey Day, including the Rockbridge Area Occupational Center, an organization that works with outside agencies to provide center-based employment for people with disabilities.

View more pictures below:

Share on Facebook

Wondering what’s stuffed inside Turkeypalooza? Gobble this down.

• The Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee caught this child’s reaction to a delicious turkey dinner on video.
• At the Campus Kitchen at University of Florida has been canned- and they’re pretty happy about it.
• The coordinator at University of Massachusetts Boston gives us a 360 degree tour of her office full of donations after one day of Turkeypalooza Day 1.
• At St. Louis University, volunteers brined their turkeys (which looks like this) for the second year in a row!
• In its first year holding Turkeypalooza, the Campus Kitchen at University of Virginia fed 200 with this awesome poster and help from the community.
• The Daily Northwestern covered the Campus Kitchen at Northwestern University’s massive Turkeypalooza effort.
• The local TV News showed up to the Campus Kitchen at Wake Forest University’s Turkeypalooza cooking event.
• Read more about all the Thanksgiving feeding efforts on our #Turkeypalooza twitter feed. Also check our CK Local Events Calendar for information on a Turkeypalooza near you.

Stay-tuned as more Campus Kitchens carve into distinctive Turkey Day events.

Share on Facebook

Melissa Caron and Matt Medeiros turned wedding favors into something that would continue giving.

Some people give bubbles and CDs full of love songs, but in place of a wedding favor for guests at their June 5 wedding, Melissa Caron and Matt Medeiros gave something to the Lexington, Va. community that would keep on giving.

The couple chose to replace a trinket for dozens of wedding guests with eight portable burners to serve potentially thousands at the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee. This Fall, the burners will act as the primary cooking tool behind CKWL’s new Healthy Cooking on a Budget classes.

“The portable burners make it a portable class,” said Campus Kitchen coordinator Jenny Davidson, who also said she was looking into different funding options for the burners before she received the donation.

The class will give participants step-by-step instruction on how to make healthy, affordable, and delicious meals without breaking the bank.  It focuses on educating all age groups, bringing adults in with their children to hold a “cooking with kids” session and working with food pantry clients for “cooking from you box”, which shows people how to turn canned and dried goods into full meals.

Caron and Medeiros gave Butane gas camp stoves because of Caron’s work with the Campus Kitchen in the past (she once served as a Campus Kitchen intern) and her work alongside Davidson now as part of the Shepherd Program. Davidson says Caron was into reading wedding blogs and probably got the idea of giving a donation over a wedding favor there.

Donations like Caron’s keep the Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee expanding operations and finding creative ways to reach all populations.

The portable Butane burners will serve as a portable classroom.

Share on Facebook

Or so writes Jeff Yaeger of the Daily Green and author of the recent blog post: “50 healthy foods for under $1 a pound.”  Somehow, Yaeger provides answers – 50 of them – to the questions Campus Kitchen shift leaders ask themselves every day as they consider cheap, nutritional supplements to meals.

Below are  some of Yaeger’s more pertinent suggestions, with additional ideas for how best to use these raw ingredients in Campus Kitchen meals.

For under $1 a pound (on sale), supplement meals with:

• Apples (buy in bulk) – process and use this canning article to store applesauce.
• Bananas – Think Elvis, and use these in peanut butter and banana sandwiches as a meal addition or kids snack for  added protein and potassium.
• Carrots – buy whole and use this video to cut down into carrot sticks for nutrition programming.
• Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans – make your own hummus to serve with those fresh carrot sticks.
• Cornmeal/polenta – an interesting starch to whip up and make fluffy with added milk. Here’s an easy polenta recipe you can use with donated cans of tomato sauce.
• Eggs – if you’re like Jenny Sproul at CKWL, who recently received a donation of 400 pounds of eggs from Walmart, you won’t need to buy them.  But if you do, they make a great egg salad sandwich or ingredient for a quiche.
• Lentils – A great way to add protein to a large, congregate style meal – in soups, salads, or sandwich spreads.
• Oatmeal – a longtime staple of Campus Kitchens, students have thrown the old-fashioned oats in anything from fruit cobbler to an ice cream sundae bar, like the one CKNU helped serve during a recent slow cooker program.
• Pork – use inexpensive cuts, like pork shoulder, to cook up curries and soups, or simply slip them into a slow cooker.
• Squash – try baking acorn squash with a little brown sugar
• Watermelon – a great way to provide a little built-in hydration to community partners during hot summers.
• Yams/sweet potatoes – a dignified “super food”, this is a delicious and versatile starch to add to any type of meal, year-round.

Hungry yet? Get cookin’!

Share on Facebook