About Us
The Campus Kitchen at JHU was created in 2009 upon the premise that waste is wrong: be it food, money, or the potential for people to live productive lives. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to using surplus food to provide balanced, nutritious meals for hungry men, women, and children in the local Baltimore area.
We receive donations of foods that would otherwise go to waste and incorporate it into healthy meals, which we cook in our kitchen and distribute amongst local organizations that work to relieve hunger and strengthen our community.
Beyond that, we focus on using food as a tool to empower the community — by physically strengthening bodies, but also by strengthening minds and talents through nutrition and culinary arts education programs.
Our Mission:
- To physically strengthen the community by using available food resources to meet its hunger and nutritional needs
- To empower minds by providing leadership and community-based learning opportunities to students; and educational benefits to adults, seniors, children, and families in need
- To solidify the community by fostering a new generation of community-minded adults through resourceful and mutually beneficial partnerships among students, social service agencies, businesses and schools
CKJHU kicked off in March of 2009, after just 6 months of preparation. The founders of the organization saw the potential good that a food recovery program could do in a city like Baltimore, and struggled to get the Campus Kitchen on its feet as soon as possible..
Here are our stats: August ’09- December ’10
Food Recovery:
• Raw/Prepared Foods: 14,021 lbs
• Gleaned Produce: 5,240lbs
• Non-Perishables: 980 lbs
Total food recovered : Over 20,000 lbs!
Student Involvement:
• Total Volunteers: 260
• Total Hours Volunteered: 603 hrs
Community:
• Meal Distribution Count: 8451
• Raw Foods Donated: 11,935 lbs
• Community Partners/Recipients: 11
CKJHU works very closely with the university’s Dining Services office, as well as JHU’s current food service provider: Aramark. They have been incredibly generous in their support to the Campus Kitchen agenda, and have made contributions of all sorts — from food to cookware to their own time.
Campus Kitchens is currently recovering food from these local businesses and farms:
Einstein’s Bagels
Donnas
H &S Bakery
Community Supported Agriculture
Gleaning Trips to:
First Fruits Farm and The Samaratin Women’s Garden- Charm City Farms.
Campus Kitchens Donates food to:
B-Spirit- an after-school program in Park Heights
Waverly Middle School
The Church of the Guardian Angel Wednesday night community dinner
Check out the JHU Community Garden at http://jhugarden.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling to volunteer or learn more.
If you’d like to volunteer for the Campus Kitchen at JHU, please email us at ckjhu.volunteer@gmail.com to join our volunteer mailing list.
If you would like to make a food donation, or learn more about getting involved with our organization, you can email us at ckjhu@campuskitchens.org.
