In an appearance at Kent State University, Robert Egger, founder of DC Central Kitchen and The Campus Kitchens Project, challenged Kent State students to fight hunger locally and announced that Kent State will become part of the national Campus Kitchens program this spring.

Robert Egger (right) is thanked for his visit to Kent State.

The Kitchen will be the first in Ohio and part of a network of 30 schools working to fight hunger across the country. The Kent State Campus Kitchen will receive $15,000 from the national Campus Kitchens Project, which will help the kitchen open and begin operations.

Kent State's Campus Kitchen will open spring 2011 and share on-campus kitchen space in Beall-McDowell Hall, recover food from cafeterias and community donation and engage students as volunteers who prepare and deliver meals to area residents in need. The program will involve students from the hospitality management program and other student volunteers, who will receive extensive training on food preparation and handling.

The beneficiary agencies are Kent Social Services and the Center of Hope.

Ann Gosky, senior special assistant in the Division of Enrollment and Student Affairs, says a dedicated group of students worked on the Campus Kitchens proposal and were so excited by the concept that they began a food recovery program in late September.

"So far, they have recovered more than 700 pounds of food from football games and special events. I'm proud of the involved students, who showed their commitment to the program even as our application to be a Campus Kitchen was still pending," Gosky says."I'm pleased that the national program has recognized our work and potential and has chosen us to join their group."

The kitchens are entirely student run with students planning menus, getting food, running cooking shifts and organizing meal delivery. Since 2001, Campus Kitchens has engaged more than 23,000 student volunteers in recovering more than one million pounds of donated food and delivered one million meals to their communities.

The Campus Kitchens Project is a national organization that provides healthy meals to those in need by harnessing the spirit of student volunteerism within local communities. Now in its ninth year, the program operates on 30 university and high school campuses. Thanks to the support of the Walmart Foundation, Sodexo, General Mills, Cargill and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the effort continues to grow. More information on the Campus Kitchens Program is available at www.campuskitchens.org.

For additional information or to volunteer with Kent State's Campus Kitchens project, contact Gosky at 330-672-8004 or agosky@kent.edu .

By Kimberley Sirk