At Campus Kitchen, Nursing Student Helps Keep St. Louis Fed Despite COVID-19 Pandemic
04/15/2020
As a nursing student at Saint Louis University, senior Kara Hanke carried forward her love of feeding others from high school to college.
Committed to combating hunger and food insecurity, Hanke, fellow volunteers and staff members with SLU’s Campus Kitchen continued have continued that fight as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has threatened some of the University’s most vulnerable neighbors.
As the SLU and St. Louis communities observe social distancing to help flatten the virus’s curve, Campus Kitchen (CKSLU) has continued serving meals and making food available to students and St. Louis community members in need.
“Now more than ever we see that at-risk populations are struggling with meeting basic needs in the local St. Louis community, Hanke, a student in the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing who has volunteered with the kitchen since coming to SLU four years, explained. “It was so crucial for me to work with Melissa Apprill, our organization coordinator, to keep Campus Kitchen up and running for as long as possible to provide meals or even basic groceries from our partners.”
Though many of the students who form the kitchen’s usual volunteer base are now dispersed due to the University’s remote learning and work status, many campus community members have stepped up when and where possible to keep the kitchen running at this critical time, she said, service that their fellow kitchen volunteers are thankful for as they continue CKSLU’s work.
In Kara’s Words
I have always been in and around the kitchen and started working at soup kitchens regularly in high school. This grew into a passion of mine to help serve local community members to combat hunger and reduce food waste at the same time. I realized that Campus Kitchen was in line with my career as a nursing major to promote the public health while helping spread awareness to fellow students on campus.
Throughout these four years the kindness of so many that I've volunteered with and served never fails to amaze me. Everyone who has walked into our kitchen is ready to offer a helping hand and go above and beyond to create healthy meals.
Additionally, there is this sense of willingness of so many residents at our delivery sites to tell their stories. They look forward to the meals just as much as they look forward to those coming to deliver. This has reassured me that this has become deeper than serving food but creating friendships with others in the community we wouldn't have otherwise.
The idea of “magis” that lies within the Jesuit mission often gets overlooked. “Magis” means more and it can be seen when students, faculty, staff and alumni alike go above and beyond. This can be seen in through critical thinking and creative thinking during critical times to serve for humanity.
Ultimately, this has shown in so many of our volunteers as they've stepped up to find ways to deliver food safely, reaching out to residents to seek additional grocery needs, and cooking delicious meals with limited food rations.
Learn How Campus Kitchen is Helping St. Louisans During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 13,000 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of now more than 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.
Story by Amelia Flood, University Marketing and Communications.