Corky’s Cupboard has partnered with Fresh Ideas, Emporia State’s dining servicer, in a new initiative aimed at helping fight food insecurity on campus. According to Robyn MacGregor, basic needs coordinator, Fresh Ideas will donate leftover food from the Hornet’s Nest to the pantry.
On Sundays and Wednesdays, Corky’s Cupboard volunteers will package leftover food from midday meals at the Hornet’s Nest cafeteria into containers that will be refrigerated overnight in the pantry for student pick up the following day, MacGregor said. Any kind of food that the Hornet’s Nest serves those days will be donated, given that there is a reasonable amount left. The food will either be packaged by the type of food or into pre-portioned meals.
She says a similar initiative has been done before at ESU, but it eventually stopped. The current initiative will only be able to operate if there are enough volunteers to help package meals.
Corky’s Cupboard will not keep the cafeteria’s food for more than one night, but MacGregor anticipates that they will not have to throw anything away as a lot of students utilize the pantry. Corky’s Cupboard is open on Mondays and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m., the days after the food will be packaged.
“I mean, at the beginning of the semester, we were up to our eyeballs in some of that food, and already it’s significantly depleted, and so stuff gets picked up fast,” MacGregor said.
It was Director of Dining Services Kim Olsen who approached MacGregor with the idea to donate the leftovers. MacGregor said Olsen is passionate about food insecurity and reducing food waste.
On top of the donation initiative, Fresh Ideas and ESU’s Basic Needs have already launched two additional programs to feed students and reduce wasted food. The first is allocating five free meal swipes to students in need. The other is a text program that allows students to take home leftover food catered by Fresh Ideas from events on campus.
MacGregor said that these programs have had low utilization so far, but she expects use to pick up later in the semester.
Students can request free meal swipes using this link. They can sign up for the catering leftover program here.
Students and Recognized Student Organizations wishing to volunteer their time to package meals can sign up for a slot using this spreadsheet. MacGregor emphasized that Corky’s Cupboard needs volunteers for the Corky’s Cupboard donation initiative to work.
