#HungerFighters The #HungerFighters are a group of first year students working with the Campus Kitchen to both understand the causes and consequences of food insecurity as well as address them directly.

The #HungerFighters are a group of First Year students that are committed to learning more about the causes and consequences of food insecurity through the combination of direct service and educational opportunities. #HFs participate in our year long educational development program consisting of speakers, documentary screenings, and topical discussions. In order to ground these experiences students also commit to working with the Campus Kitchen on at least one regular shift each week. This combination of direct service and education forms a complementary relationship in which each component informs the other. 

Campus Kitchen's first-year focus group called #HungerFighters is a wonderful opportunity to get involved with CKWL and develop a deeper passion for food security and food justice in our own community, and in our world. #HungerFighters enables first-years to take a more active role from the very start of their college experience in Campus Kitchen's service opportunities and engage in various discussions on food access, nutrition, and hunger. Hunger Fighters provides a great way to build in consistent conversations, volunteer shifts, and learning experiences throughout the year through a very manageable, and meaningful, time commitment. 

The #HF educational series ties into many academic courses like POV 101, Intro to Environmental Studies, and Statistics for Social Sciences, etc. -- apropos to our liberal arts education. The educational series allows students to  learn about the three pillars of food insecurity: the structural cycles of poverty, the intersections of public health, and economic and political approaches to food assistance. This service fosters relationships with clients while also offering direct application of learning and new perspectives. The #HungerFighters program is highly. recommended to any incoming first-year student. #HungerFighters hopes to inspire first-years to explore many more programs, courses, and educational opportunities on the topic of hunger and food access in the Rockbridge community, our nation, and our world.

This cohort of committed First Years also participate in group volunteering and social activities, developing relationships that extend beyond the walls of CKWL. If you are interested in joining the #HungerFighters email Ryan Brink at rbrink@wlu.edu!