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Campus Kitchen at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (CKSIUE) is adding a little more sweetness to the holiday season by providing homemade baked goods to those in need. 

“This is Campus Kitchen at SIUE’s second annual Pie-Giving event,” said Allison Menchak, Community Engagement graduate assistant with SIUE’s Kimmel Student Involvement Center.  “Our goal is to deliver 100 pies and cakes to area food pantries and shelters.”  

Pumpkin, cherry and apple pies and chocolate and vanilla cakes were baked in CKSIUE’s kitchen on Friday, Dec. 11. The desserts will be delivered to the Community Care Center and the Good Samaritan House, both in Granite City, and Gateway 180 in St. Louis. The sweets donated to the Community Center will be added to holiday baskets distributed to families on Dec. 18 and 19.

The Campus Kitchen Project Headquarters requires colleges and institutions with campus kitchens to perform additional community service during the holiday season, outside of their normal food deliveries during the year.

“Due to our limited cooking and storage space, we were unable to store turkeys or dinners to donate,” said Menchak. “Therefore, Kathleen Veys (Art and Design research assistant) decided to make pies last year. They delivered approximately 50 pies.

“I decided to continue the tradition this year and am looking to double that number,” she added. “The goal of this program is to provide clients with something extra special during the holidays.”

This is senior Stephanie Bargiel’s second year working with CKSIUE’s Pie-Giving community outreach. “I think pie giving is a rewarding experience because we are creating the food from scratch,” said Bargiel, student shift leader with CKSIUE, “because we get to create the food from scratch. The University has provided everything and we put a lot of hands to it.”

“I’ve never baked a pie before, but I’ve been getting a lot of experience now,” said Alexia Cadichon, a freshman majoring in biology medicine and a volunteer with AmeriCorps. “It’s a great event that we’ve been planning for months. I’m so glad the day of pie making has come!”

The Pie-Giving program started with a Pie-Baking Ingredients drive Nov. 9-20. The SIUE community donated 95 pounds of flour, 98 pounds of sugar and 72 cans of pie filling.

“I was blown away,” said Menchak. “We received additional pie pans, eggs and butter from the Kimmel staff. SIUE Dining has been great by providing us with fresh apples to make the pies, and student groups from across campus have volunteered their services.”

In addition, Menchak said she was grateful to Bethel Buerk, vice president of the SIUE Alumni Association, and the SIUE Alumni Association for contributing money, cooking items and labor.

“Members from the Alumni Association will help us pack up the pies and distribute them,” Menchak added. “I’m so glad our Pie-Giving event has been widely accepted by the SIUE community. More pleasing than the smell of the baked pies and cakes is the sweet aroma of thoughtfulness and sharing during the holiday season.”

For more information about Campus Kitchen at SIUE, visit their website.

Photos:

Allison Menchak, Community Engagement graduate assistant with SIUE’s Kimmel Student Involvement Center, shows off a baked pumpkin pie with Fannie Acoff, a master’s candidate in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, in the background mixing apples.

Stephanie Bargiel, student shift leader with Campus Kitchen at SIUE and a senior majoring in chemistry, is helping prepare an apple pie for baking.

Han Nguyen, a graduate assistant in the Department of Management and Marketing, puts a top crust on an apple pie with Bridgette Crockett, a master’s candidate in the College of Arts and Sciences, working in the background.