Centenary’s ‘Cooking for a Cause’ resulted in 1,200 meals for students in need
Sodexo’s award-winning Cooking for a Cause returned for its second year with campuses across Louisiana and Mississippi rallying together to fight food insecurity. What began as a chef-driven competition for Hunger Action Month has evolved into a collaborative, student-led effort that’s now feeding thousands.
For every dollar donated, a meal was provided to support programs such as Swipe Out Hunger and on-campus food pantries. This year, a total of $4,391 was raised, and with Sodexo and SodexoMagic matching donations to help increase the overall impact of the program and support students in need, that total increased to 8,365 meals.
Centenary’s efforts raised more than $600 in a single lunch shift which translated into more than 1,200 meals for students who may be food insecure.
“We look forward to participating in ‘Cooking for a Cause’ each year,” said Shanta Bates, General Manager of Sodexo Campus Services at Centenary College. “It is heartwarming to see students helping other students. It’s a fun and tasty event that has such a wonderful outcome.”
In addition to Centenary, participating campuses included Mississippi University for Women, Jones College, Grambling State University, Nicholls State University, East Mississippi Community College (Scooba, Lion Hills, and Golden Triangle), University of Louisiana at Lafayette, McNeese State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Louisiana, Dillard University, Jackson State University, Northwestern State University, and Loyola University New Orleans.
This year, Sodexo chefs across campuses collaborated instead of competing, each creating dishes inspired by pantry staples and food scraps to showcase creativity and sustainability.
Each campus added its own unique touch. Sodexo offered branded Cooking for a Cause T-shirts for $20 donations at Jones College, EMCC, and Mississippi University for Women.
At Nicholls State University, the Colonel Closet hosted a table with resources for students in need, while Dining interns dressed as superheroes cheered on donations. Xavier University of Louisiana’s Dining Services hosted a resource fair featuring several campus organizations, and the event also included cheerleaders who helped energize the crowd and encourage donations. Northwestern State University featured a campus food pantry table and also connected students to job opportunities through the Career Center.
Grambling State University added a meaningful extension to the effort this year by participating in a campuswide food drive and donating to the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home. Students also lined up to swipe for “I DONATED” stickers, and the team built on the program’s mission by preparing meals for Tigers on campus. Their contributions reinforced the spirit of service driving this year’s event and showed how each campus found its own way to strengthen the collective impact.
Centenary College of Louisiana brought in school pride by inviting cheerleaders to encourage donations, and the team elevated the experience further by theming their event around their featured dish with festive Italian decor.