Day 2: Evanston

Yesterday we spent most of the day partnering with the Campus Kitchens project at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Campus Kitchens can be found across the country at 28 different colleges and universities. “What we do is kind of a no-brainer. We know there are people in each community who need nourishing meals. And, we know that every college campus has unserved food in its dining halls and brilliant students in its classrooms. So we put them all together.” Last year Campus Kitchens rescued 30,000 pounds of extra food from Northwestern’s dining halls to serve to the community.

Since the university is on its summer schedule we worked on a couple of smaller projects. After learning about what happens in the kitchen, our group packaged 70 snack bags to be delivered to Stand Up for Kids, a homeless shelter for teens. When the teens leave the shelter in the morning they will be given these snack bags to nourish them throughout the day.

You may have noticed that these snack bags are only about half-filled with healthy snacks. One of our focuses on this trip has been just how difficult it is for poor people to have access to healthy food. Across the country you’ll find what are referred to as “food desserts,” pockets in communities and neighborhoods that are without markets or access to fresh foods. Likewise, when you look at the shelves of food at food pantries you’ll see an abundance of packaged, unhealthy food. Every organization that we have partnered with thus far has touched on this concern in one way or another. Many poor people are overweight, not because of lack of access to food, but because of the prevalence, cost, and availability of unhealthy food.

Later in the afternoon we returned to Campus Kitchens to deliver some of the meals that had been packed by the summer interns. This gave us the opportunity to get out into the community and meet some of the people who receive these meals. Altogether 50 meals were delivered out of the kitchen yesterday…and we discovered at least 50 “speed humps” on the roads of Evanston.

Our final delivery was to an organization called Homeless Connections. After dropping off some sack lunches we were able to get a tour of the shelter. Connections’ mission is “working to end homelessness by preventing people from losing their homes, re-housing those who already have, and helping each person to reach the greatest possible level of self-sufficiency.” Standing in the shelter amongst the tattered and outdated donated clothing, stepping into the dorm room lined with lockers and bunk beds, and moving aside as the young, hungry man showed up to ask for some food made us all acutely aware of the privileged lives we live.

As we ended our evening we prayed together, “Dear God, I feel…” Echoed around the room were many feelings…tired, overwhelmed, confused, ashamed, humbled, inspired, blessed, privileged.