Tucked away on an outer corner of the College, the Zu is more a part of the local neighborhood than the campus itself in terms of location. Rotating groups made up of the 22 residents cook vegetarian meals Sunday through Thursday rather than eating at Valentine Dining Hall.
“Our budget for food comes from the money that we would have spent to be on the Amherst meal plan,” said Zu house president Andrew Gutierrez. “We actively manage everything that we consume, being especially conscious about our waste.”
The Zu’s main food supply comes from the Northeast Foods Company; at the beginning of each semester, residents place a large bulk order for non-perishable items, which are used throughout the year for cooking. This year, based on positive feedback last semester, the Zu decided to donate some of this food to Not Bread Alone. “The idea [to donate food to Not Bread Alone] was actually not new this year,” noted Gutierrez. “We’ve donated to Not Bread Alone in the past if we’ve had ingredients left over at the end of the year that were not used.”
This time around, the Zu specially allocated part of its initial funds to supply Not Bread Alone with much-needed stock. The donation was possible because last semester, Zu members made an increased effort to be more sustainable and conscientious of what they needed, and in doing so, saved a good amount of money and food.
The entire house voted to offer up five to 10 percent of the food they ordered to Not Bread Alone. Working with Mercedes Taylor ’11, the program assistant for Not Bread Alone, Gutierrez purchased items most needed by the soup kitchen and even other “extras” to provide an assortment of different ingredients for future meals.
“We requested brown rice, lentils and cooking oil, and they gave us so much more variety!” Taylor said enthusiastically.
To deliver the items, House member Sam Bass ’11E borrowed a car to transport the Zu’s donation, which included rolled oats, applesauce, canned tuna, tomatoes and more. “We were blown away by the amount of food in his trunk and backseat. It took trip after trip to get it from the car into the storeroom,” added Taylor, who said she couldn’t express her gratitude enough.
The Zu’s contribution came at the right time — the winter and just after the holidays are notoriously slow for donations. The College as a whole has become more and more involved with Not Bread Alone as its needs have increased over the years. The soup kitchen has grown from doling out a few bowls of soup once a week to serving about 8,000 multi-course meals over the course of an entire year, as well as providing thousands of pounds of groceries, and even sometimes haircut services, on the weekends.
For over 12 years, College students such as Shannon McKenna ’12 have been volunteering at the kitchen, which has allowed them to connect with the community.
“You go there and you’re assigned different jobs, like last week I made a salad,” McKenna said. “You feel very accomplished because you actually make things. It’s not like other soup kitchens where you’re just serving it, but you’re making it so it makes you feel more connected.”
Later this month, Not Bread Alone will hold its annual Soup and Song event, during which Amherst students have helped to raise $5,000 in the past two years. The Zu’s contribution added to the community support of the soup kitchen.
“Our donation was modest in terms of our budget, but we were happy that we were able to contribute as much as we did,” said Gutierrez. “In times of economic difficulty, soup kitchens tend to be the first ones negatively affected. They not only receive fewer donations because people have less means to spare, but they also experience more need from an increasing number of patrons. The Zu found itself in a position to help, and I’m very proud that we came together as a house and gave what we could.”
The donation did not go unnoticed; according to Taylor, “This unexpected blessing will help get Not Bread Alone through the winter.”