The first year Leadership team at Southwestern College is taking measures to fight food waste and help stop hunger. 

The team attended the Kansas Hunger Dialogue in Wichita in February to research the issue and listened to speakers from across the nation discuss creative ways to combat hunger.  Students then designed a service project that focuses on food redistribution; taking unused food that would go to waste and getting it to places that it can be used in the community.  

The students designed a delivery system for the Barns at Timber Creek Bed & Breakfast to get untouched food catered at weddings to First United Methodist Church for the Tuesday’s Table community meal program. They are also trying to raise awareness for the Prairie Land Food service that offers savings on food packages at discounted costs. 

“The Food Redistribution Project is a creative way to fight the issue of hunger,” says Lindsay Wilke, assistant director of Leadership Southwestern.  “Southwestern students researched community organizations and food programs to learn what the needs are for hungry citizens in the Cowley community.  They learned that access to affordable, healthy food is a barrier for many citizens.  So they decided to look for ways to address this disparity through food recovery and redistribution.  They went beyond the common idea of a food drive and attempted to design a sustainable system that will last.”

Contact leaders@sckans.edu or call (620) 229-6393 to let the Leadership team know how they can reach out to other parts of the community to help redistribute quality, healthy food.