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Dateline: 6/26/2007

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE
Dale Goodwin, Director
Peter Tormey, Associate Director

GU Campus Kitchen Prepares Adults for Workforce

(SPOKANE, Wash.) — Six underemployed adults have begun the Culinary Job Training program at Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University (CKGU) and, after graduating Aug. 10, will seek new or improved employment as trained professionals.

The program graduated its first class one year ago with a special ceremony. The program teaches unemployed or underemployed adults valuable culinary and life-skills through work in the kitchen and classroom. Trainees take a food handlingcertification exam at the end of course, and have job application opportunities

Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University started operations in August 2005 as a special partnership with Gonzaga and Sodexho, the campus food-service provider. To date, Campus Kitchen has rescued more than 25,000 pounds of food, served more than 31,000 meals and engaged volunteers in more than 5,000 hours of community service.

CKGU delivers between 350 and 500 meals per week to 10 community-based agencies and to 24 individuals. Its partner client agencies include Spokane Neighborhood Action Project (SNAP), GU's Campus Kids mentoring program, YWCA, and the Spokane AIDS Network.

CKGU is part of a national hunger relief organization titled The Campus Kitchens Project, a student-driven campus initiative in which high school and college students recycle un-served food from dining services, use school cafeterias to prepare meals, and deliver those meals to low-income youth, seniors, families, and community-based agencies. The mission of The Campus Kitchens Project is to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build community.

The Life Skills topics covered in the curriculum include: Introduction to the business; program expectation and goal-setting; conflict resolution; professionalism in the food industry; interviewing skills; confidence building; resume and application building; body language awareness; appropriate workplace behavior.

For more information, contact Rebecca Teichmann, program coordinator, Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University, at (509) 323-6939 or via e-mail.