After 23 years of supporting the local Colorado Springs community by addressing issues such as hunger and homelessness, the Colorado College Community Kitchen now sees its future obscured by an expiration date labeled May 10.
Recently, changes have been made to the existing model of Sunday meals at the Kitchen that bring light to community fellowship and conversation after lunch is served.
However, despite efforts put forth by the CC community, the Community Kitchen will not be around past the end of this academic year to continue implicating this collaborative shift. Consequently, the Food Coalition and the Arts for Social Change Coalition have come together to keep the tradition going in a new, innovative way.
“Over the past year, it became clear that Colorado College needed to figure out a way to continue to address these important issues while also addressing a number of pressing concerns about the Kitchen’s weekly structure,” said Dave Harker, Collaborative for Community Engagement.
To tackle this issue, the coalitions have brought to life a contest called the Soup Project Challenge, in which participants propose projects that meet criteria such as addressing food justice issues with the potential for a realized impact; innovating beyond the legacy of Shove Chapel; being local in character, reach, and impact; engaging the community; and remaining successful with their ongoing model.
“We are in the midst of the $20,000 Soup Project Challenge,” said Harker. “This will fund student-designed social innovation projects addressing these issues in the local community.”
The Soup Project aims to imagine creative solutions for addressing social issues on a local basis such as homelessness, hunger, and poverty. By partnering with the Colorado Springs community, the coalitions aim to tackle these issues in “meaningful” ways.
“We need to honor all of the great work the Community Kitchen achieved in the past 23 years, while also thinking about innovative new ways to create positive impact in our local community,” said Harker.
The proposals will be presented in the Final Pitches for the Challenge during the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on March 5 at 5 p.m.
Additionally, in order to support the endeavors of the Food Coalition and Arts for Social Change Coalition, the president’s office has recently provided the Collaborative for Community Engagement funds to support new internships under a coalition-based leadership model. Adison Petti has been a driving force behind these new opportunities.
The funded internships cover a vast array of positions within programs such as: Community Resource Liason, Food Coalition Programs, Arts for Social Change Programs, Finance and Fundraising, Membership and Volunteers, and Sundays at the Community Kitchen. Each of these entities come together to complement and support each other.
“We are thinking ahead to a number of really exciting projects that maximize the skills, energy, and passion of the CC community in ways that partner with local organizations engaged in this important work to make an even bigger positive impact on our communities,” said Harker.
Students are encouraged to participate in weekly discussions at The Soup Project from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. each Sunday in Sacred Grounds at Shove Chapel. Anyone interested in getting involved can email ccsoupproject@gmail.com for additional information.