Craigslist Founder Supports Nationwide Student-led Fundraising Campaign
Starting tomorrow, student volunteers from the Campus Kitchen at Casper College will kick off a week-long “Raise the Dough” online fundraising challenge to benefit hunger relief efforts in Casper. The challenge is hosted by The Campus Kitchens Project, the nation’s leading nonprofit empowering students to fight hunger and food waste in their communities, and supported by the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, a private fund created by craigslist founder Craig Newmark in 2016 to support and connect nonprofit communities and drive powerful civic engagement.
From February 17 to February 24, volunteers with the CKCC will compete against 25 high schools and universities to see who will raise the most money to support their local hunger-fighting efforts. Cash prizes totaling $2500 will be awarded to Campus Kitchens that raise the most money or involve the largest number of individual donors through their online campaign. The Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund will match every grassroots level donation of $100 or less, up to $7500, emphasizing that it’s not just how much students raise, but the number of individuals students can inspire to join their movement that really matters.
Students and community members can support CKCC by donating to the fundraising page online starting at midnight on Friday, February 17. As an organization with predominately college-age volunteers, the amount of the donation is less important than the number of individuals who participate. With a match from the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, a nominal contribution of just $10 supports the efforts of CKCC. Prize-winning kitchens will be announced by The Campus Kitchens Project on February 27, 2017.
“Getting people engaged in helping others is a big deal. It’s how we’ll change the world,” says Newmark.
At each of the 58 Campus Kitchens nationwide, students lead efforts to combat food waste and hunger by collecting surplus food from on-campus dining halls, community gardens, restaurants, and grocery stores and transforming it into healthy meals. In the last academic year, Campus Kitchens across the country rescued more than 1,306,163 pounds of food and served 349,376 meals. Each Campus Kitchen goes beyond delivering meals to develop and implement innovative programs that address the root causes of hunger.
About The Campus Kitchens Project
Founded in 2001, The Campus Kitchens Project is a national organization that empowers student volunteers to fight hunger and food waste in their community. On 58 university and high school campuses across the country, students transform unused food from dining halls, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers’ markets into meals that are delivered to local agencies serving those in need. By taking the initiative to run a community kitchen, students develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills, along with a commitment to serve their community, that they will carry with them into future careers. Each Campus Kitchen goes beyond meals by using food as a tool to promote poverty solutions, implement garden initiatives, participate in nutrition education, and convene food policy events. To learn more about our work, visit www.campuskitchens.org.
About the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund
The Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund is a private fund created by craigslist founder Craig Newmark in 2016 to support and connect nonprofit communities and drive powerful civic engagement. The foundation’s priorities include trustworthy journalism, veterans and military families, voter protection and education, consumer protection and education, public diplomacy, government transparency, micro-lending to alleviate poverty, and women in tech.