A longtime advocate for nonprofit organizations will present “The End of the .Com/.Org Divide: You Don’t Have to Choose between Making Money and Doing Good” at Ithaca College on Thursday, April 28. Robert Egger, named one of the most caring people in America by the Caring Institute, will give his talk at 7:30 p.m. in Textor 102. It is free and open to the public.
Using his experience as a restaurant and nightclub owner, Egger found a creative way to help break the vicious cycle of hunger and homelessness in Washington, D.C. In 1989 he founded DC Central Kitchen, where food donated by hospitality businesses and farms is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary arts job training program. On a daily basis, over 4,500 meals are prepared and distributed to homeless shelters, community youth centers, children’s after-school programs and homebound seniors. Thousands of people have been trained and have gone on to work as chefs, restaurant managers and waiters.
With a start-up grant from the Sodexo Foundation in 2001, Egger helped create the Campus Kitchens Project, a program where students use on-campus kitchen space and donated food from their dining halls to prepare and deliver nourishing meals to their communities. Campus Kitchens now operates at nearly 30 colleges and embodies Egger’s vision of using existing infrastructure to make lasting change.
Egger writes regularly and speaks throughout the country and internationally on the subjects of hunger, sustainability, nonprofit political engagement and social enterprise. He is the author of “Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient and Rewarding for All,” which received the 2005 McAdam Prize for best nonprofit management book by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Following his talk, copies of “Begging for Change” will be available for sale and signing.
From 2006 to 2009, Egger was included in the “NonProfit Times” list of the “50 most powerful and influential” nonprofit leaders. Among other honors, he has been named a Humanitarian of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, a Washingtonian of the Year and a Point of Light. In 2001 he was presented with a “Use Your Life Award” by Oprah Winfrey.
During his campus visit, Egger will meet with students in a proposal and grant writing course taught by assistant professor of writing Pat Spencer. The students read “Begging for Change” prior to producing funding proposals for community partners. He will also meet with representatives of Challenge, the local vocational services organization and one of the community partners, to discuss enhancements to their social enterprise endeavors.
The presentation is sponsored by the Department of Writing, School of Humanities and Sciences Educational Grant Initiative, Office of the Provost, “Commit-to-Change” HSBC Foundation Grant, and Sodexo/Ithaca Dining Services.
For more information, contact Pat Spencer at (607) 274-3770 pspencer@ithaca.edu.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Pat Spencer at (607) 274-3770 pspencer@ithaca.edu. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20110419103625604