Fighting hunger for the holidays
Toppers and River Hills Mall team up with Mankato's Campus Kitchen
by Jamie Winter
Issue date: 11/4/08
Section: Campus News
The Campus Kitchen Project is a Minnesota State student organization made up of more than 4,000 volunteers city-wide who work 355 days a year to fight hunger in the Mankato area. The group currently provides more than 300 meals per week to support local families and organizations such as Echo Food Shelf and the Salvation Army.
This year, Campus Kitchen will also have to help provide something else: its own funding.
"This is our first year without any grant funding," said Campus Kitchen Director Samantha Eckerson. "As a non-profit organization, we have to raise over $70,000 this year to continue our efforts in the community."
Help is on the way, however.
For the first time, Campus Kitchen has partnered with the River Hills Mall through a program called The Giving Spree to help raise funds for the hungry. By donating $5 online to the Campus Kitchen at www.thegivingspree.com, participants are eligible for more than 60 different exclusive coupons for the River Hills Mall.
These coupons are valid on Nov. 15, a special shopping day the mall has set aside for those who donate. The campaign began Oct. 21 and runs through the middle of November.
"Sixteen percent of the Mankato population who are in need of food are actually kids under the age of 18," Eckerson said. "We want to make sure that the kids in Mankato are getting a proper nutrition and that they are not going to bed hungry."
Other Mankato organizations that individuals are able to donate to through The Giving Spree include Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota, the Mankato Area Foundation, the SMILES Center for Independent Living, South Central College, the Mankato Foundation, and VINE Faith in Action.
Toppers Pizza has also joined the effort to help raise money for Campus Kitchen. Customers at Toppers are able to donate funds to the MSU organization when placing an order in person or over the phone. With the promotion, any donation of $1 receives a recognition card on campus and at the Toppers store. Those donating $5 receive a free single order of Topperstix and any donation of $10 or more comes with a free triple order of Topperstix.
"As a local food business, it made sense to find a non-profit that needed help finding solutions to feed hungry, less fortunate people in our community," Toppers owner Sue Wilke said. "Campus Kitchen is totally funded through donations, and without those donations this program will no longer exist."
The Toppers promotion begins Nov. 15 in honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Other events happening on campus and around Mankato include the "BBQ 4 Bucks" at Bresnan Arena during the men's and women's basketball games and the women's volleyball game on Nov. 15, the "Cookies for a Cause" event being held in the Wiecking foods lab on Nov. 16 and the Hunger Banquet on Nov. 19.
"Campus Kitchen is the best kept secret in Greater Mankato, and our mission is to get that secret out for everyone to hear," Wilke said.
Jamie Winter is a Reporter staff writer
This year, Campus Kitchen will also have to help provide something else: its own funding.
"This is our first year without any grant funding," said Campus Kitchen Director Samantha Eckerson. "As a non-profit organization, we have to raise over $70,000 this year to continue our efforts in the community."
Help is on the way, however.
For the first time, Campus Kitchen has partnered with the River Hills Mall through a program called The Giving Spree to help raise funds for the hungry. By donating $5 online to the Campus Kitchen at www.thegivingspree.com, participants are eligible for more than 60 different exclusive coupons for the River Hills Mall.
These coupons are valid on Nov. 15, a special shopping day the mall has set aside for those who donate. The campaign began Oct. 21 and runs through the middle of November.
"Sixteen percent of the Mankato population who are in need of food are actually kids under the age of 18," Eckerson said. "We want to make sure that the kids in Mankato are getting a proper nutrition and that they are not going to bed hungry."
Other Mankato organizations that individuals are able to donate to through The Giving Spree include Habitat for Humanity of South Central Minnesota, the Mankato Area Foundation, the SMILES Center for Independent Living, South Central College, the Mankato Foundation, and VINE Faith in Action.
Toppers Pizza has also joined the effort to help raise money for Campus Kitchen. Customers at Toppers are able to donate funds to the MSU organization when placing an order in person or over the phone. With the promotion, any donation of $1 receives a recognition card on campus and at the Toppers store. Those donating $5 receive a free single order of Topperstix and any donation of $10 or more comes with a free triple order of Topperstix.
"As a local food business, it made sense to find a non-profit that needed help finding solutions to feed hungry, less fortunate people in our community," Toppers owner Sue Wilke said. "Campus Kitchen is totally funded through donations, and without those donations this program will no longer exist."
The Toppers promotion begins Nov. 15 in honor of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Other events happening on campus and around Mankato include the "BBQ 4 Bucks" at Bresnan Arena during the men's and women's basketball games and the women's volleyball game on Nov. 15, the "Cookies for a Cause" event being held in the Wiecking foods lab on Nov. 16 and the Hunger Banquet on Nov. 19.
"Campus Kitchen is the best kept secret in Greater Mankato, and our mission is to get that secret out for everyone to hear," Wilke said.
Jamie Winter is a Reporter staff writer
Be the first to comment on this story