Help Us Keep Things Cold at CK, MSU, Mankato!

Have you ever gone to your freezer to find the ice cream is a mushy soup? Your frozen turkey thawed and ready for the oven? Imagine if that freezer stored food for 2-3 weeks for about 150-200 community members. The mess, the disappointment of throwing all that good food away... THAT would be a sad day, and we don't want to experience it. Help us prevent that!

From February 15-22, the Campus Kitchen at MSU, Mankato is competing against Campus Kitchens at other institutions across the country in the annual Raise the Dough Challenge.  Our goal is to raise half the funds needed to purchase a new freezer.

The freezer unit we need would cost about $11,000 but we are hoping to raise at least $5,500 towards that purchase. It would be wonderful if we raised more! Hope you will surprise us and help us exceed our goal!

There is no doubt: we LOVE the agencies and the people we serve. They are the families needing a little extra help, the elderly man who really looks forward to seeing us deliver the food each week, and the college student who does not have anything in the refrigerator because payday is still a week away. Who knows, maybe you needed a little help from us at one point or another. That's what we are here to do. We are all human and we are here to help each other.  We are hoping that you can help us, too.

The people who receive support from Campus Kitchen at MSU, Mankato are 'the heartbeat of Mankato' to us.  They come and go, living their day to day lives, and we simply give them a little help when they need it. Caring about our neighbors is what we do. We just want to keep them healthy by providing healthy food. 

    We are pleased to have provided a "Free Farmers Market" for 810 students at MSU, Mankato recently.  In January, we partnered with Campus Cupboard and distributed about 9200 pounds of produce, to help offset food insecurity among MSU, Mankato students. With continued support, we hope to do this again.

Our food supports ECHO Foods, the REACH, Theresa House/Welcome Inn, Maxfield Place (Salvation Army), Open Door Clinic, Loaves and Fishes (Mapleton), South Central College and Campus Cupboard (Food Pantry for area college students including MSU, Mankato).  We could not do what we do without the support of our food donors: Dickey's BBQ, Chipotle (Madison Ave), Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Panera, and Gustavus Adolphus College. And all those food drives and fundraisers offered by MSU, Mankato University Dining Services! Wow! Of courses, nothing gets done without the ongoing support of our shift volunteers and shift leaders. They are the superstars who ensure that food is collected and meals are assembled, packed, and delivered.  We are in such a fortunate spot. Now, we just need a reliable freezer to store that food. Please consider helping us to support the Greater Mankato community!

You can help by:

• Donating $5, $25, or any desired amount
• Sharing this with friends via social media
• Asking three friends to commit a $10 donation each (The school with the highest number of donors will win $750!)

How much to donate?

• Celebrate our CK Birthday: 2005 - 2019 makes us a 14-year-old! Donate $14 in honor of our birthday. 
• Donate the equivalent of how much it costs to pick up donations and deliver food each week ($25).
• If you have graduated, donate the amount of money that you spend now on one week of groceries. 

Whatever the amount, your support is greatly appreciated! Know that it makes a difference!

To learn more about resources to address food insecurity, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CKMNSUMankato/

The top post is a map showing where you can find free food or meals. Go to the "About" page to learn about other resources that may prove helpful. 

We also look for volunteers, especially to serve as shift leaders throughout the year (yes, including summer). Speaking of summer, we could use your help with the Campus Kitchen Raised Bed Garden.