Last week, Arkansas Tech University became the 50th school to join the national network of The Campus Kitchens Project, DCCK’s effort to scale its proven model nationally. This program empowers students to fight hunger and food waste in communities from Boston, Massachusetts to Spokane, Washington. Student volunteers with the Campus Kitchen at Arkansas Tech are turning wasted food into healthy, balanced meals for the greater Little Rock area as part of our sustainable solution to hunger.
Since its founding 15 years ago, student volunteers with The Campus Kitchens Project have teamed up with on-campus dining providers and cultivated local food recovery partnerships that help them prepare healthy, balanced meals for their community. Students prepare these meals in cafeteria kitchens during off-hours, and then deliver them to nearby community partners, such as afterschool programs and senior centers.
The launch of the 50th Campus Kitchen comes on the heels of The Campus Kitchens Project’s milestone achievement in December: preventing the waste of 5 million pounds of food since its founding in 2001. That same month, The Campus Kitchen Project reached another key mark, preparing and delivering its 2.5 millionth healthy, balanced meal.
With the number of Campus Kitchens continuing to grow, student volunteers with the organization are recovering 1 million pounds of wasted food each year that they use to create healthy, balanced meals for their community.
Twenty schools in The Campus Kitchens Project network are competing in the annual “Raise the Dough” campaign through February 26 to see which school can raise the most money to fight hunger and food waste in their community. Students from schools not participating in “Raise the Dough” can make a gift to The Campus Kitchens Project national page to help grow the network to more campuses across the country.