Ever wonder where all that uneaten food from Southside and Ike’s goes everyday? Between the dining halls and retail dining options, there is a ton of food everyday that goes to waste. However, volunteers working for the Campus Kitchen Project are tackling these issues head on.
I recently interviewed Zuri Gangnon, president of the GMU chapter of the Campus Kitchen Project, to get more information about what the organization does and what they stand for.
Photo Courtesy of campuskitchens.org
Spoon: What is the Campus kitchen Project?
Zuri: Campus Kitchens is the future of hunger relief. Campus Kitchens consists of 51 schools across the country that allows students to take part in making a difference in their community by reducing food waste and fighting hunger.
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com
Spoon: What specifically is the role of volunteers?
Zuri: Volunteers pick up leftover food from participating dining halls, Southside and The Globe, or retail locations, like Einstein Bros Bagels, package the food and help deliver it to local shelters, such as Katherine Hanley Family Shelter.
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com
Spoon: What are some of the core values of the Campus Kitchen Project?
Zuri: Some core values of Campus Kitchens are building communities, sustainability/elimination of food waste, fighting hunger, and empowering students by offering many leadership opportunities.
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com
Spoon: What exactly is the Campus Kitchen Project doing on George Mason’s campus?
Zuri: Since the beginning of Campus Kitchens on the George Mason Campus, we have donated over 1000 lbs. of food to local shelters in the Fairfax community.
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com
Spoon: What do you love about the Campus Kitchen Project and what made you want to get involved with it in the first place?
Zuri: I care a lot about creating a more sustainable food system and taking action in my community. I started working for Mason Dining as a Sustainability Intern as the project was just launching on our campus. I heard Campus Kitchens needed help and became more heavily involved. This semester, I became the president of the Campus Kitchen at GMU. Campus Kitchens is still fairly new on this campus, but we’re growing every day.
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com
Spoon: How Can someone get involved?
Zuri: All volunteers sign up on our volunteer hub page
Photo Courtesy of The Campus Kitchens at George Mason University on Facebook.com