On Saturday, Nov. 22, Campus Kitchen spiced up some shifts this year for the Thanksgiving pre-made meals. What was held at Gus’ Snack Bar last year, meals were delivered to Andreen and Westerlin residence halls this year.
The idea of location change began with what was more convenient and closer for students distance-wise; it’s inclusive to all students of all years even if they don’t live in any of those dorms, sophomore Cameron Grant, co-vice president of Campus Kitchen said. Last year, members of Campus Kitchen recognized that about half of the students who ordered their meals didn’t come and pick it up.
Although the event was hosted before Thanksgiving break, for students who have to remain on campus, this can make some students feel a sense of home. Senior and international student, Waniya Mehdi, has remained on campus throughout all four years at Augustana, including for all breaks.
While Augustana’s partnership with MetroLink allows students to travel the Quad Cities bus route free of cost, holidays or potential snow storms that trap students inside during break can make it hard to hop from place to place for meals, alongside the cost of food.
For students staying on campus during breaks, the Gerber Center is one of the last reliable campus hubs open into the evening. Yet even that option becomes limited when building hours shrink after the majority of students leave campus.
As a meal made at home feels comforting, food made from a campus community can help students feel a dash of home as well.
“I think this truly helps with homesickness because in my culture, we don’t really have Thanksgiving, but that’s not the same for every country. There might be other countries that have similar traditions, and I know that offering this alternative is at least good,” Mehdi said.
Campus Kitchen secretary sophomore Rahel Samuel has been involved with the group for two semesters. Even in her short amount of time being a part of it, she said her priorities extend beyond whipping up a good meal, but the impact upon the people who it’s shared with.
“I think the most rewarding thing is being able to give back to our fellow peers,” Samuel said. “[Also giving] them a meal to have for Thanksgiving if they’re not able to get it elsewhere.”
As students’ lives on campus consistently buzz, escaping the “Augie bubble” can be a challenge. With Campus Kitchen’s mission to serve the Augustana community in high-need periods such as Thanksgiving, the organization also extends its reach beyond campus walls. Members said that their work is shaped not only by the students’ needs, but also by the larger community of Rock Island.
Grant said that partaking in off-campus service has shown him how widespread hunger is in the Quad Cities community. For Grant, Campus Kitchen’s collaboration with St. Joseph’s church of Rock Island helped him consider services beyond Augustana’s grounds.
When volunteering at St. Joseph’s evening meal,a free community dinner program at the Rock Island Township Hall, revealed how many families needed to rely on consistent and dependable meals. Grant said this intercation changed their understanding of the Campus Kitchen’s purpose.
“We’re all so passionate about trying to address this issue on campus of food scarcity and stuff over breaks and in our general community,” Grant said. “That helps us cast a wide net of people and bring people together for that purpose.”
This mixture of on-campus support and off-campus outreach has helped Campus Kitchen grow into what it is now. While the work can be demanding for the members, such as cooking many meals the day Thanksgiving pre-made meals were delivered, cooking often builds a sense of community, ringing true for this group and keeps the members returning each week.
Senior Kailynn Catalani has been a part of Campus Kitchen since coming to Augustana her freshman year and said this group has cooked up a lot of memories for her. This outlet has become a place where she can decompress and focus on something meaningful, even in the little moments.
“There was a Cook and Connect [event] last year [and about six] people came over to my apartment on a Sunday just to make pancakes for the fun of it. It ended up being a little girl’s date, and it was a blast,” Catalani said.
What happens in the kitchen is more than just chopping vegetables and the sounds of pots and pans. It is the community that is built throughout the process, whether it be the bonds shared within or outside of the kitchen.
For members of Campus Kitchen, the kitchen is a space that softens the sharpness of the week. With academic pressure and campus responsibilities that stack up like pancakes, the intentional rhythm of cooking offers something dependable: community and peace, which offers warmth beyond the ovens.
“It just shows how willing the Augie community is to serve and volunteer. A big barrier has just been [unawareness about Campus Kitchen], and I feel like now we’re having a little bit more awareness. More people are getting into it and wanting to join us, and we’ve definitely had an increase in volunteers this year compared to last year,” Samuel said.
The connection that the group has on and off-campus collaborating with St. Joe’s feels natural. Being involved has helped the members realize how the same spirit of care stretches across campus.
It isn’t about the number of meals that are made or the people that show up, what matters every time Campus Kitchen enters the kitchen, is that people are well-fed, which is their highest priority, through the group’s specialty hearty meals such as baked ziti or others that will fill people up.
“We aim a lot for more protein-based meals, like casserole and chili [which] is beans-based,” Grant said. “There are some limitations, especially with people who don’t eat meat and stuff, but we found really good ways to get around that with chili, egg casserole, and our baked ziti.”
Although Campus Kitchen doesn’t guarantee that all meals are allergen-free, they do their best to accomplish what they can so that people who have dietary or religious restrictions can enjoy the food. One alternative they have cooked over the years to meet those needs is Catalini’s family recipe of vegan chili.
However, it’s important to be aware of what you’re eating, especially if there’s a high risk of being put into a risky situation.
“We also try to be super clear … if it’s a serious allergy or medical reason why you can’t have a certain food, be abundantly cautious. We can’t guarantee there’s not going to be cross-contamination,” Catalini said.
For students like Mehdi, she has been impacted by the work and meals provided from Campus Kitchen.
The Thanksgiving pre-made meals aren’t simple to-go containers packed with food, they are reminders of students who are cared for with barriers such as expensive groceries that pile up or many other realities faced by students. Over the last two years alone, grocery prices have risen 25.5% nationwide.
“I get to have a proper meal,” Mehdi said. “It’s made like a meal and it’s presented like a meal, and I don’t have to be sad or cry about the fact I’m not with my family, don’t have money or food. I definitely feel like this helps with food insecurity.”
Whether serving in the Augustana community or wider Rock Island one, these experiences are exactly what keeps the group whisking away. Their work continues to evolve with the needs of fellow peers, Rock Island’s needs and the changing realities of food accessibility on and off of campus, which has become challenging over the years.
Outside of the holiday season, the group’s mission is to ensure that communities are nourished and content, which breaks gaps of food accessibility in this ever-changing world.