Columbia Dining is honored to have been presented with the Together We Can Make a Difference Award at the Sharing Our Stories Benefit Gala and Auction hosted by Community Impact at Columbia University on April 19, 2023. The award recognizes Columbia Dining’s commitment to supporting the local community and food accessibility initiatives. Over the past year, Columbia Dining donated 560 Thanksgiving turkeys to local food pantries for distribution to food insecure community members; hosted a fundraising cooking class to benefit Columbia Community Service grant recipients; donated surplus supplies to neighborhood food pantries; and renewed the $5,000 commitment to the student-run Columbia Food Pantry for the fourth year.
The award was presented by Vice President for Student Affairs Joseph Greenwell, who commended the Columbia Dining team for continuously “serving the Columbia community with kindness and care.” Columbia Dining Assistant Vice President Vicki Dunn and Executive Chef Michael DeMartino accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
“We’re grateful to help bridge the gap for those who are struggling to meet basic needs. It’s about serving the community inside and outside Columbia,” said Dunn.
