Campus Kitchen

Campus Kitchen has accomplished several operational milestones this year. For instance, Campus Kitchen launched a website that contains information about our organization, showcases the statistics behind our impact, and shares how anyone can contribute to forking hunger. For instance, we started a helper shift at the Campus Food Pantry that helps stock shelves and distribute food to those in need weekly. Additionally, during Panhellenic Recruitment, we partnered with sororities to pick up 2,000 lbs of food donations to support the Auburn Family Meals program, and this partnership is one we hope to continue to foster for years to come. Campus Kitchen also initiated fraternity pickups this semester, picking up a total of 514 lbs since the end of March, with plans to continue them in the future. Additionally, the organization established a weekly pickup from the Culinary School and has been collecting unserved food from various events around campus, including the engineering and business schools, and organization events from UPC, Camp Kesem, Best Buddies, Emerge, and more. This year, Campus Kitchen has also had its largest number of shift leaders.

Campus Kitchen has established valuable connections with the individuals and families who receive their food services. By including additional members to our Meals on Wheels delivery routes, the organization has garnered positive feedback from current beneficiaries who have even recommended our service to others. Campus Kitchen’s efforts to expand their reach and assist those who may lack access to food has resulted in successful partnerships with several organizations, such as Bell Missionary Baptist Church, ACHR and Timothy Manor.

Furthermore, Campus Kitchen has also taken steps to ensure that our Auburn Family Meals program is accessible to more students. We have extended our office hours on Fridays for four hours, in order to better accommodate the schedules of busy students. This modification underscores the organization’s dedication to addressing food insecurity within the campus community and highlights our willingness to innovate in order to meet the needs of those we serve.

Over the past year, Campus Kitchen has been actively engaging with the Auburn University community and beyond to raise awareness about our mission and to encourage involvement in our efforts to combat food insecurity. This includes hosting open houses at Lupton Hall. The open houses were successful, with a great turnout, and food provided by Auburn Dining’s catering services. Additionally, Campus Kitchen organized a Momma Goldberg’s Benefit Night to raise additional funds for our cause. Campus Kitchen has also been making appearances at various events to educate the community about our work.

Our president, Elise Fitzgerald, spoke at TALONS Day sessions for incoming, high-achieving high school students, highlighting the opportunities for student involvement on campus. The executive team also engaged with prospective students and their families at the event, providing insight into the organization’s intricacies. Furthermore, Campus Kitchen was present at the Camp War Eagle Student Involvement Browse for freshmen.

Additionally, Campus Kitchen was invited to speak at the Hunger Banquet for the Beat Bama Food Drive and also had a table at the event. Through these engagements, Campus Kitchen has been able to showcase the valuable work that our student volunteers do in fighting food insecurity in and around Auburn.

We are committed to continuing our efforts to raise awareness and encourage participation in our cause.

Campus Kitchen has recently been recognized for its outstanding community involvement efforts. The organization has received two grants from Publix and the Thomas P. Waters Foundation, which will allow us to continue our mission of reducing food waste and food insecurity in the local community. In addition, Campus Kitchen was also honored with the Fred and Charlene Kam “Human Touch” Award for its outstanding involvement in the community.

These recognitions are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the organization’s volunteers, shift leaders, and executive team. The support of the local community has also played a critical role in the success of Campus Kitchen. Donations from churches in the area, such as St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church and Auburn First Baptist Church, have helped ensure that the organization has the resources it needs to continue making a positive impact in the lives of those in need.

Campus Kitchen successfully raised $10,000 for our Tiger Giving Day project, which was focused on advancing our operations and creating a web-based app. Thanks to the generous contributions of our donors, we can now move forward with our goal of streamlining communication and improving our services to the community. With the funds, we plan on collaborating with outside partners and software engineers to create a comprehensive app that will allow us to delegate shifts, gain insights on how to streamline operations, and view data instantly while it is being updated. As an ongoing project, we will keep our donors informed of progress throughout the next two years, as we continue to integrate the app into our operations and make a difference in the Auburn/Opelika area.