Radford-Fairlawn Daily Bread board member Izzy Largen making an impact
Every day, thousands of students eat thousands of meals across Virginia Tech’s dining centers. As with all restaurants, there are often leftovers — but thanks to Campus Kitchen, those leftovers feed the community instead of becoming waste or compost.
Campus Kitchen, a VT Engage program, relies on student volunteers to divert food from dining centers to food pantries across the New River Valley. Three times a week, staff and volunteers load a cargo van with quality, unserved food and deliver it to community food access organizations. To date, Campus Kitchen has diverted over 263,000 pounds of unserved food to Virginians in need, with 11,000 pounds diverted in the first 12 weeks of the fall 2025 semester alone.
“It’s such a simple design in terms of the system, but it’s so impactful,” said Izzy Largen, assistant director for food access initiatives. “It’s hard not to feel good about what you do. Dining is so happy, partners are so happy, and the environment is really happy.”
Campus Kitchen has operated since 2015 and has a staff of two: Largen and a graduate student assistant — currently Olivia Vowell. Dining Services is a vital partner, as employees carefully prepare, package, store, and manage food designated for donation, following strict health and safety standards at every stage of the process. The program relies on the help of 16 scheduled student volunteers for pick up and drop off, plus additional staff and student volunteers to help before holiday breaks.
“From a student perspective, it’s really fulfilling to volunteer,” said Vowell. “You can see the effects of your work almost immediately. You see the quantities of food you’re preventing from turning into waste, and it’s extremely helpful for local pantries.”
Lester Schonberger, associate Extension specialist in the Department of Food Science and Technology, was the first graduate assistant for the Campus Kitchen program from 2016-19. His experience with the program was formative.
“It inspired the focus of my entire dissertation, studying the intersections of food recovery and donation and food safety,” he said. “It also gave me a greater appreciation of the larger systems that influence addressing community identified needs, which has been immensely useful in my current role.”
In recent years, he said, the program has become more streamlined and effective, distributing more food to more partners and reaching more people. Largen credits improved communication and a shared commitment to sustainability with helping Campus Kitchen and dining streamline their work.
“I’m really proud of the relationship between dining and Campus Kitchen,” said Largen. “We’re at a point now where we’re so in sync that the process takes care of itself.”
Emily Williams, assistant director of sustainability for dining and housing, handles ongoing coordination between Dining Services and Campus Kitchen. Her role includes working closely with Largen and Vowell to prepare for each semester, communicating pick-up schedules, and supporting dining units when questions arise.
“Through consistent communication and collaboration, the partnership has grown into a well-organized, reliable process — one that staff is proud of and excited to continue,” said Williams.
Campus Kitchen currently serves six community partners across the New River Valley, including Agape, a community service organization based in Christiansburg. Agape offers a range of support services including food access, and it is one of Campus Kitchen’s oldest partners.
“If someone shows up at Agape and can show that they live in the New River Valley, we will give them food,” said David McEwen, food pantry manager at Agape. “We also take care of diaper needs, clothing needs, and mentoring as well. We provide a safe place, and Campus Kitchen makes that possible, because if the food is all handled, then we can focus on other stuff.”
McEwen said Campus Kitchen’s regular supply of high quality, ready-made meals from dining centers makes it easier to serve community members, as many food pantry donations are individual food items, such as sliced bread and canned goods.
“Campus Kitchen is on a different level of what they provide,” he said.
An easy way to make a difference
Ruthie Buehrer, a senior studying environmental policy and planning, has volunteered with Campus Kitchen for the past two semesters. She started volunteering because she was inspired by her studies on food access and wanted to get involved with the local community. It’s an experience she highly recommends to other students.
“It is a fun way to give back to the community, lower food waste, and meet people you would never have interacted with,” she said. “My shift at Campus Kitchen is one of my favorite activities of my week.”
Alex Cohen is a junior majoring in food science and technology. Her work in campus dining inspired her to volunteer with Campus Kitchen. Like Buehrer, what started as a meaningful volunteer opportunity for her has grown into a source of connection and fulfillment.
“Dropping off and unpacking the food is always such a fun experience because of how friendly everyone is,” Cohen said. “I also enjoy being around the other student volunteers and forming a connection through helping our community.”
Student volunteers can commit to helping up to a semester at a time. Vowell said that for a volunteer opportunity, it’s low maintenance. Volunteers work one shift per week, with shifts available Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each shift lasts one to three hours.
“It’s a great way to see what’s happening in the community and help,” said Vowell. “You just show up, and you serve the community through this recurring connection that you don’t have to build on your own. You’re always with a crew. It’s a good, easy way to get involved.”
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