by Riley Yager
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has taken great strides towards becoming a sustainable campus. With the implementation of UAB’s Sustainability program as well as student organizations such as the Green Initiative, Social Justice Advocacy Council, the Green Thumb, etc., UAB has provided many opportunities for students and faculty to get involved. UAB’s vision is to embed sustainability as a fundamental value at the university. UAB’s Sustainability Strategic Plan outlines goals and objectives towards improving air and water quantity, energy usage, transportation, diversity, food sources, and many more.
One very important goal for sustainability is the fight against hunger. Zero hunger is the 2nd goal of the Global Sustainability Development Goals which was adopted by the United Nations in 2015 [1]. Needless to say, ending world hunger is extremely important. UAB is working towards this goal with the help of Blazer Kitchen. Blazer Kitchen is UAB’s united effort to fight hunger and the people working there provide food and toiletries for the students, facility, and staff how are in need. I had the opportunity to volunteer a few hour shift at the kitchen and the environment there was welcoming and a judgement free zone. It felt amazing knowing that we were truly helping those in need within UAB’s community.
The Blazer Kitchen was founded under the Benevolent Fund at UAB. Since 1984, the Benevolent Fund has worked to meet the needs of UAB employees and the campus community by offering charitable giving opportunities [2]. This program was UAB’s first big step to fighting food insecurity at its campus.
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is defined as the lack of consistency regarding one’s access to enough food to feed their entire household [3]. This concerns both quantity of the food as well as the quality of the nutritional value of the food. People’s experiences with food insecurity can be a temporary situation or it can be long lasting burden depending on finances and availability. More than 40 million people experienced some level of food insecurity in 2021 due to the pandemic [3]. Food insecurity can happen suddenly after events such as work lay-offs, unexpected car problems, and accidents on the job. Food insecurity can also be a gradual burden that builds overtime. The effects of food insecurity include health complications, restrictions to child development, difficulties for retired citizens with fixed incomes, and many more.
The good news is that there are tons of organizations and programs set in place to fight hunger worldwide. Feeding America, WhyHunger, Micronutrient Initiative, and the Global Sustainability Goals are the a few examples of organizations that are fighting to every human’s right to healthy, accessible food. Blazer Kitchen at UAB is among those providing heroic efforts to stop hunger.
The Start of Blazer Kitchen and Future Plans
In 2013, the Hill Student Center had a small pantry that provided food to students, facility, and staff in need. In 2017, they merged with Blazer Kitchen to further lessen the food insecurity without the community at UAB. The university provided a free and larger space to collect, sort, and store food in the Medical Towers located on 11th Ave S. Since 2017, the kitchen has done so much for the UAB community to fight food insecurity and they are making bigger strides every year. Blazer Kitchen at Medical Towers will soon move to a location one block closer to campus and the goal is to make the kitchen more accessible. They are also working hard to strengthen their partnership with UAB Medical in hopes of expanding their reach to more patients.
Blazer Kitchen’s Biggest Contributors
Blazer Kitchen’s finances mostly come from the Benevolent Fund, but as stated by the Benevolent Fund’s Program Coordinator Kaydian Jordan, “Blazer Kitchen could not be successful without our wonderful partners!” These partners include Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research, The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, and Financial Affairs and Administration. They have recently established Blazer Kitchen Garden which is only possible through UAB Department of Biology, UAB Sustainability, and Green Thumb. Also, I wish to give a big shout out to Alpha Gamma Delta who does a lot of volunteering in both the pantries and the garden! Winston Lancaster from the biology department is also a huge contributor to Blazer Kitchen considering all he does to keep the gardens running well.
Get Involved
Pre-COVID there where orientations held to keep students informed and aware of the kitchen and their services. Recently, spreading awareness as been a challenge for Blazer Kitchen which is one of the main reasons that I am writing this blog post. There are shifts available to volunteer at both Blazer Kitchen and The Gardens on Blazer Pulse [4]. You can give financial donations online to the Benevolent Fund and specify for Blazer Kitchen. You can also shoot Kaydian Jordan an email to set up a donation drop-off.
Concluding Statements
I want to conclude this article by stating that no one should be ashamed of food insecurity and everyone here at UAB should be aware of the services provided by Blazer Kitchen. All students and employees have access to Blazer Kitchen and all that is required is your ONECard. I also want to encourage all that are able to donate and volunteer in support of this wonderful organization at our university.
I want to thank Kaydian Jordan for answering all my interview questions which made this article possible. After her internship with the Benevolent Fund in 2019, she decided that that was the work she wanted to do following graduation and she jumped on as soon as a position became available.
Resources
[1] UN, 2015. “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” United Nations – Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal2
[2] UAB. “Benevolent Fund.” https://www.uab.edu/benfund/
[3] Feeding America. “Hunger in America.” https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/food-insecurity
[4] Blazer Pulse. https://uab.givepulse.com/login
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