WASHINGTON – Last week, student volunteers from 24 colleges and universities participated in a week‐long “Raise the Dough” online fundraising challenge, raising more than $56,000 to benefit hunger relief efforts in their communities. The challenge was hosted by The Campus Kitchens Project, a national organization that empowers student volunteers to fight hunger in their communities.
From February 20 to February 27, participating Campus Kitchens competed against one another to raise the most money to support their hunger‐fighting efforts. Cash prizes totaling $2500 were awarded to Campus Kitchens that raised the most money or involved the largest number of individual donors through their online campaign.
The Campus Kitchen at Washington, DC raised $12,715, winning an additional $1,000 prize for the most money raised. A $750 prize was awarded to the Campus Kitchen at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) for engaging 159 donors – the most of any competitor.
At each of the 42 Campus Kitchens nationwide, students lead efforts to combat food waste and hunger by collecting surplus food from on‐campus dining halls, community gardens, restaurants, and grocery stores and transforming it into healthy meals. In the last academic year, Campus Kitchens across the country rescued more than 823,549 pounds of food and served 293,963 meals to 12,006 clients. Each Campus Kitchen goes beyond delivering meals to develop and implement innovative programs that address the root causes of hunger.
These donations make all the difference in powering The Campus Kitchens Project’s lean and sustainable solution to hunger, which since its founding in 2001 has empowered student volunteers to recover more than 4,163,000 pounds of food and serve more than 2,334,000 meals.
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About The Campus Kitchens Project
Founded in 2001, The Campus Kitchens Project is a national organization that empowers student volunteers to fight hunger in their community. On 42 university and high school campuses across the country, students transform unused food from dining halls, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers’ markets into meals that are delivered to local agencies serving those in need. By taking the initiative to run a community kitchen, students develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills, along with a commitment to serve their community, that they will carry with them into future careers. Each Campus Kitchen goes beyond meals by using food as a tool to promote poverty solutions, implement garden initiatives, participate in nutrition education, and convene food policy events. To learn more about our work or bring The Campus Kitchens Project to your school, visit www.campuskitchens.org.