JWU Charlotte providing excess food to community partners

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina university is giving surplus food a second life, repurposing it into meals for students and neighbors across the Charlotte region.

Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte offers a wide selection of majors and programs, like culinary arts and business administration, preparing students for high-demand industries.

At the heart of that mission sits the university’s culinary storeroom, often described as the backbone for daily operations. 

Staff, culinary assistants and federal work-study students are managing daily inventory, orders and distribution needs, while keeping activities running smoothly campuswide.

Product Manager Sierra Curtis oversees storeroom operations.  

“We are responsible for ordering and receiving all the product once it comes into the storeroom,” Curtis said. “We store it properly and use reports to fill daily requisitions for all the labs and any events we might have on campus. I like to tease — if there was no storeroom, there would be no culinary without us.”

Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, the storeroom is also empowering nonprofits and neighbors across the Charlotte area, sharing excess food with community partners for people who need it most.

JWU Charlotte operates a weekly rotation of distributing quality food items to groups and organizations, helping to feed neighbors, all while reducing waste.

One of those partners is the Community Culinary School of Charlotte, a nonprofit providing workforce training and job placement support in the food service industry.

Executive Director Ronald Ahlert, also known as “Chef Ron,” makes regular donation pickups from the JWU Charlotte campus.

“They give us really nutritious [food], a lot of different unique items our students may not get a chance to work with because sometimes the cost can be tough,” Ahlert said. “I put people to work that might have a barrier to successful long-term employment. This relationship [with JWU] is paramount.”

Ahlert said the boxes of surplus food are supporting hands-on training while stretching resources needed for its program.

“Money can be tight. We rely on donations and grants,” Ahlert said. 

Another partner, The Bulb, is operating a mobile farmers market, delivering fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods across the region.

“It allows us to redistribute surplus produce that otherwise would have been thrown away and it directly contributes to our mission of putting food back into the economy, back into the environment, communities that need it the most,” said Emma Start, sustainability coordinator for The Bulb. “We’re taking it away from landfills.”

“Community partners supporting each other is invaluable. You can’t compare it to something like this,” Start said.

The support is extending to students on campus who may need meals as well, through a commuter lab. 

“We take food from labs that we’ve repurposed as meals for people in between classes and commuters that have busy schedules and don’t have time to go home in between classes,” student and culinary assistant Macie Braymiller said.

“Helping out people who truly need our assistance, that’s what makes this meaningful,” said Isabella Mock, JWU student and culinary assistant. 

Kaden Rogers is a JWU Charlotte student and culinary assistant.

Rogers said he’s grateful to be in a learning environment that’s also giving back to neighbors.

“It’s an amazing opportunity that we get here as students, every day, to be able to contribute to the city while we’re students,” Rogers said. “It’s a powerful thing.”

JWU Charlotte leaders said the storeroom also serves as a training ground for students interested in careers beyond the kitchen, teaching skills like supply-and-demand operations that translate directly into today’s workforce.

“Some come in as a work-study student, get promoted to a culinary assistant and go out and get jobs in the industry,” Curtis said.

Curtis said it’s a great feeling to see the storeroom giving back in so many ways.

 I like that JWU is donating to these community organizations all year-round,” Curtis said. “It takes a village.”

JWU Charlotte food donation partners also include Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, churches and soup kitchens.

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