It’s a foregone conclusion that most college students are strapped for cash. But for some students at Tech, it’s not just a lack of beer money, but a true struggle to afford enough to eat.
Last year, members of the Student Alumni Association chose to help their less fortunate peers by using the organization’s annual Gift to Tech to create Klemis Kitchen, a food pantry for students in need. SAA’s $31,000 gift was used to renovate and outfit a space on campus with a freezer, refrigerator and BuzzCard reader that will allow students to access Klemis Kitchen discreetly. The kitchen, which officially opened its doors on Feb. 2, 2015, resides at an undisclosed location on campus to protect students’ anonymity.
As many of you might have guessed, the facility is named in honor of Tommy Klemis, the owner of Junior’s Grill, a longtime Tech dining mainstay that closed in 2011. Klemis was known for his generosity at Junior’s Grill, often giving away his famous chicken fingers or hamburgers to students when they were struggling to pay.
“I can’t think of a better legacy to leave for our future Tech students than one that actively provides funds to feed those in need,” Klemis says. “It honors all the employees of Junior’s, many of whom were students.”
The meals at Klemis Kitchen are made from leftover food from Tech’s dining halls and stored in freezers. Unlike a traditional soup kitchen serving hot meals, Klemis Kitchen allows students to select as many pre-packed, frozen meals as they need and then take them to go.
Klemis Kitchen provides an important complement to an existing program called Campus Kitchen, which donates leftover food to local organizations. While extra food from dining halls is already being given to organizations around Atlanta, it can now also benefit students who need it right here on Tech’s campus.
Students in need can get access to Klemis Kitchen through Dean of Students John Stein or GT’s Homeless Student Liaison Dana Hartley.
Hartley says food insecurity and homelessness are more prevalent among students than many may think.
“It’s surprising that these things exist here at Tech but they do,” Hartley says. “In many ways they’re very hidden problems. But they exist everywhere.”
Some students may need assistance on a long-term basis. However, others may have a more temporary situation, such as an unexpected car repair or bill, that has left them without enough money for food. Klemis Kitchen exists to help any student struggling to get enough to eat.
The reason student hunger and homelessness fly under the radar is because those in need often try to hide it, Hartley says. It’s typically a friend or roommate who will refer a student to her.
“Most students in such situations are not comfortable exposing their need,” she says.
Each year, the Student Alumni Association makes a sizable gift back to Tech that’s funded by its members. Students suggest projects, and SAA members vote on which one they’d like to fund.
Catie McCoy, STC 07, director of student outreach for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, says the decision this year to fund Klemis Kitchen really speaks to the caliber and integrity of Tech students.
“They could have voted for an outdoor concert series,” McCoy says. “But this is students caring about other students.”
Twitter