Athens, Ga. – Beginning Feb. 17, students with the Campus Kitchen at the University of Georgia will compete against other Campus Kitchens across the nation in a weeklong “Raise the Dough” online fundraising challenge.
Campus Kitchen UGA leaders hope to raise at least $2,500 to aid their efforts to end senior hunger in Athens-Clarke County, which is ranked eighth in the state for the number of older adults at risk of hunger.
The challenge is hosted by the Campus Kitchens Project, a national organization that empowers student leaders to develop sustainable solutions to food waste and hunger at Campus Kitchens across the country. That organization will award $2,500 to the Campus Kitchens that raise the most money or involve the largest number of individual donors through an online campaign.
Last year, Campus Kitchen UGA diverted 48,000 pounds of food from landfills and transformed them into 13,000 meals. Since 2012, Campus Kitchen UGA has recovered over 200,000 pounds of food from grocery stores, dining halls, farms and farmers markets.
Individuals can support Campus Kitchen UGA by donating to its specific online Razoo page at https://www.razoo.com/story/Ckuga17 between Feb. 17 and Feb. 24.
Other opportunities to support Campus Kitchen include donating monthly Kroger Community Rewards points to Campus Kitchen UGA.
Also, on Feb. 21, from 10 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. the UGA Office of Sustainability will hold Zero Waste Extravaganza with Patagonia’s Worn Wear College Tour at the Tate Student Center. Students will be collecting canned goods, rolling carts or coolers, reusable canvas bags, and working refrigerators for Campus Kitchen UGA clients. Arrange drop-offs for large items ahead of time.
Campus Kitchen UGA is a program of the UGA Office of Service-Learning and partners with the Athens Community Council on Aging and the Athens Senior Hunger Coalition to combat senior hunger. Student volunteers recover food from grocery stores, dining halls, farms and farmers markets and prepare and deliver meals to homebound seniors and grandparents raising grandchildren. Other Campus Kitchen UGA programs that address underlying causes of senior hunger include Senior SNAP outreach, an intergenerational Lunch Buddy program, and healthy cooking and gardening demonstrations.
