By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Through November 14, The Campus Kitchens Project, the leading national nonprofit empowering students to fight hunger and food waste, will host a launch grant competition in which Austin Peay State University (APSU) will compete against other schools from across the country to start their own Campus Kitchen.
APSU must rally supporters to vote for their video on www.campuskitchens.org. The top three schools with the most votes at the end of the voting period will win a grant sponsored by CoBank to fight rural hunger in their communities.
In order to qualify as one of the finalists for the competition, students from APSU submitted a video explaining why Clarksville would benefit from a Campus Kitchen.
Crystal Brinkley, coordinator of the Campus Kitchen effort at APSU, saw a need in Clarksville and decided to start the organization at her alma mater.
“I wanted to give back to our community because I consider Clarksville home,” Brinkley said. “This is a great opportunity to help the students gain fulfilling experiences and have an impact on the community.”
She hopes the group can reduce the amount of waste at APSU while also working with local businesses and schools to help those in need.
The Campus Kitchen Project says food insecure residents in rural areas are underserved by traditional food banks and hunger relief programs. Fifteen percent of rural households, or an estimated 2.8 million households, are food insecure in America. The food insecurity rate for Clarksville-Montgomery County is at 16.1 percent which is higher than the national average (15.4 percent).
At each Campus Kitchen nationwide, students lead efforts to combat food waste and hunger by collecting surplus food from community gardens, restaurants, and grocery stores and transforming it into healthy meals. In the last academic year, Campus Kitchens across the country recovered more than 1.3 million pounds of wasted food and served nearly 350,000 meals. Student volunteers with the national organization also work to promote sustainable solutions to address hunger and food insecurity in their communities.
Students at APSU’s Campus Kitchen Project have been tending a garden on campus to begin producing food. Brinkley said President Alisa White graciously donated the garden in her backyard to the project.
To vote for APSU in the grant competition, visit their video page and click the ‘Vote Here’ button beneath the video.