Related content
Audio story: The vision for Campus Kitchen

A busy day of kick-off events for the William and Mary chapter of Campus Kitchen began with what was billed as an “interactive food activity.” Members of the audience had to build from a random assortment of food items—whipped cream, nuts, strawberries, cake and what could only be described as crunchies—a dessert suitable for distribution at local food banks.

The exercise highlighted what the organization already is doing—collecting food from campus and commercial kitchens and preparing meals. It also pointed toward the type of creativity that has helped the sponsoring organization, Robert Egger’s D.C. Kitchen, transform the culture of service across the nation.

Indeed, Egger, who was scheduled for several public appearances during the day on behalf of the chapter, helped judge the food event. The William and Mary project is of special interest to him as the students here are confronting poverty in a rural area, he said. Although his organization provides a blueprint—William and Mary’s chapter leader Jessica Kim interned with it in Washington, D.C. last summer—it is not rigid. The campus organizations are free to become whatever their creativity enables, he said. He acknowledged the impact the local chapter already has made: “You all are so radically on the ground,” he said. “It is reassuring to see the brains that we have at this campus, and you can show us what philanthropy in the future will look like.”

As for the food concoctions, everyone was a winner, he said.

Also see
Egger sees new momentum for nonprofits