Seven Basics of a Campus Kitchen >>

Each Campus Kitchen in our national network is a unique program hosted by a local school, college, or university who tailors our basic model to the interests of its students and the needs of its local community. What we hold in common are seven basic tenets. Each Campus Kitchen is:

1. On Campus: A Campus Kitchen’s operations must be based out of a kitchen located on the school’s campus.

2. “Community Kitchen” Operated: A Campus Kitchen must regularly perform the following core operations:
a. Food Recycling
b. Meal Preparation
c. Meal Delivery

3. Safe: A Campus Kitchen operates under a defined food safety and hazard analysis system that minimizes risk and takes the unique health needs of our clients and safety needs of students into consideration. All meal preparation is supervised by certified food handlers, and all volunteers are trained in safe food handling practices. Every Campus Kitchen is audited annually by CKP and by the local health department.

4. Capacity-Building: Campus Kitchen meals must be delivered to individuals and families who are in need, and who are being supported by existing social service agencies or referring parties with whom the host school collaborates.

5. Cost Effective: A Campus Kitchen must show a positive Return on Investment when comparing the local program’s cost per meal to the costs an agency would incur for the same services.

6. Student-Focused: A Campus Kitchen must have a student leadership team that guides the direction of the operations, programming, and volunteer opportunities.

7. Collaborative: A Campus Kitchen is a collaboration among many partners in a school community, from students to faculty to community service staff to dining services. A Campus Kitchen can never be the project of just one devoted person or department.