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Kiki Garcia, a Metropolitan State University of Denver sophomore, chopped onions while chatting with a group of three other Auraria Campus students helping prepare a Three Sister Stew.
The group working together Tuesday to make the Native American dish shared where they were from and their connection to food. The four students lamented their chopping skills at a stainless steel chopping station while the classroom kitchen filled with the aroma of hot olive oil.
The cooking session was part of the Health Center at Auraria Cooking With Purpose class, a free event held once a month for up to 18 students meant to teach participants valuable lessons in cooking for themselves. Some of the ingredients can be picked up from the free food pantries at Auraria’s three schools — the University of Colorado Denver, MSU Denver, and the Community College of Denver.
Health center officials hope the cooking class lessons also break down any stigma of using food services on campus, especially with so many students there facing food insecurity. The center serves the three schools located at Auraria.
The center’s approach, launched in partnership with MSU Denver’s Rowdy’s Corner food pantry, adds to the growing number of resources schools are providing to address student hunger, such as food pantries, mobile markets and snack lockers.
Nationally, an estimated 23% of college students in 2020, or about 3.8 million students, experienced food insecurity — including many who skip meals or do not have enough to eat.