In honor of the week off from classes, I am refraining from making a Wismer meal suggestion given it is probably not your minds as many of you are enjoying home-cooked meals. Instead, I will use this week's post as an opportunity to bring attention to a club on Ursinus' campus that is rooted in both humanitarian and environmental objectives: Wismer on Wheels. WOW is a student-run organization that packages leftover food from Wismer dining hall and delivers it to Manna on Main Street, a non-profit food pantry and soup kitchen in Lansdale, PA.
Wismer on Wheels members pack up the leftovers after both lunch and dinner on the weekdays and after dinner on weekend nights, which amounts to a total of twelve packaging shifts every week. Each volunteer is only required to commit to one shift per week, but many choose to sign up for more. This semester, WOW has a little over 40 members, the most the club has ever had.
After the leftovers are packaged, they are stored in a designated cooler in the kitchen until the following Monday or Thursday, when deliveries take place. Manna on Main street incorporates Wismer on Wheels' donations into their soup kitchen meals that they serve to community members, helping the non-profit come closer to achieving their mission: "That everyone might be fed".
Wismer on Wheels not only benefits the community with its donations, its actions are also beneficial for the environment as they reduce the food waste that dining services produces since the donated food would otherwise be thrown away. In the fall semester alone, WOW averted almost 2,000 pounds of food from landfills, which instead contributed to the alleviation of local food insecurity. Wismer on Wheels' food donations also helped Ursinus College become a national winner in the EPA's Food Recovery Challenge. UC's Dining Services was one of the thirteen winners out of over 800 that participated.
If you are interested in learning more about Wismer on Wheels, check out the club's social media pages linked below. If you are interested in getting involved, email wismeronwheels@ursinus.edu.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wismeronwheels/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wismeronwheels
Instagram: @wismeronwheels
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| Members are well known in the Wismer kitchen for the bright green aprons they wear while packaging. Wismer staff often affectionately call Wismer on Wheels volunteers "The Angels" |
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| The trunk of a car is loaded up with the food Wismer on Wheels packages to be delivered to Manna on Main Street twice a week. |
Please feel free to provide feedback or your thoughts by commenting on this post or contacting realfoodgreenfellows@gmail.com. Thank you!
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