Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee

The mission of The Campus Kitchen at Washington and Lee (CKWL) is to strengthen bodies, empower minds and build communities through food.  

Strengthening bodies: At CKWL, we promote nutrition and address the issues of food waste and food insecurity in Lexington and Rockbridge County. We work towards this by transforming food that would otherwise go to waste into balanced meals for low-income members of the community, as well as collaborating with community organizations to provide groceries through our Mobile Food Pantry, Backpack, and Produce Delivery Programs.  

Empowering minds: We offer a space for our community to engage with issues related to the intersection of the experience of poverty and the food system, and to cultivate long-lasting understanding of those issues. We seek to promote education and awareness of nutrition and food system issues, provide opportunities for student leadership, and host community speakers and events.  

Building communities: We collaborate with other student organizations at W&L and the wider Rockbridge County in joint events around relevant topics to the food system. During students’ time with CKWL, they develop meaningful relationships with clients that go beyond service. Our students learn to think critically about the variety of ways that they can have a lasting impact within our community by supporting existing organizations and projects.