Carrie Stewart Just this year, the on-campus food pantry has provided over 128,000 meals.

Growing up in Birmingham, UAB senior Carrie Stewart had always heard great things about the university—so much so, she said, that she aspired to attend UAB from the time she was a little girl.

“UAB is Birmingham,” she said.

When it came time to apply for college, Stewart received scholarship support from UAB, and the decision was made. She was officially going to become a Blazer, at long last, studying psychology.

“UAB is so welcoming from all different backgrounds, no matter where you’re from,” she said. “At UAB, differences are celebrated, and I love that about UAB. My life is richer and more well-rounded due to meeting people from so many different walks of life, and the degree I’m earning means something in the world. I have excellent professors who challenge me.”

Stewart said she first heard about Blazer Kitchen during her freshman orientation. Blazer Kitchen is an on-campus food pantry supported by the UAB Benevolent Fund that seeks to increase food security in the UAB community by providing healthy food, resources, and referrals to UAB employees, students, patients, and their families, all while making sure those who visit it are treated with dignity, compassion, and integrity. When food insecurity is eradicated amongst the UAB community, members of the Blazer family are able to do their best and be their best, be it in the classroom or in the boardroom.

In fiscal year 2022, Blazer Kitchen has proved almost 145,000 meals to nearly 300 employees and over 1,500 students. Staffed by volunteers ages 18 and older, the kitchen boasts over 3,2500 volunteer hours served at its two locations: the Hill Student Center, which serves UAB students, and the 1613 Building, which serves students, patients, and employees.

Soon after starting college, Stewart learned that college was going to be more costly than she’d anticipated—and that housing, her meal plan, books, fees, and other expenses quickly added up.

“I started going [to Blazer Kitchen] for the first time my freshman year, first semester,” she said. “I didn’t go there every week, but I went a few times that semester. Freshman year was way more expensive than I thought it would be.”

Stewart said even with her meal plan, she found it hard to make ends meet when it came to food. She used campus dining options whenever she could, she said, but found their hours didn’t always match up with her demanding schedule.

“With everything I was involved in and all of the directions I was pulled in, eventually things close, and I needed to have food in my room,” Stewart said. “I’d cook things from Blazer Kitchen when I couldn’t find food on campus.”

To access Blazer Kitchen, students and employees are able to register for a time slot to minimize wait time for shopping. (Walk-ins are also accommodated.) Members of the UAB community can shop just as they would at a grocery store at no cost. In collaboration with UAB Medicine, Blazer Kitchen also supports patients at select clinics after patients are referred to the pantry by medical professionals and onsite social workers to recognize symptoms of food insecurity. Patient groups served include the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, Heart Failure Clinic, PATH Clinic for Diabetes and more.

“Everyone has always been so nice every single time I’ve gone,” Stewart said. “I’ve never been made to feel guilty or questioned why I needed it. The volunteers were helpful and non-judgmental.”

And, in addition to using Blazer Kitchen’s resources, Stewart now gives back to the food pantry, inspired by the kindness she’s always received from the volunteers there.

“I started volunteering this past summer, the summer going into my junior year,” she said. “I feel happy when I end a shift, when I’m helping people shopping for food. It feels good to give back, because you’re helping people who are so appreciative.”

Blazer Kitchen has been in operation since March 2017.

“During that time we have provided enough food for over 550,000 meals,” said Benevolent Fund Manager Lisa Higginbotham. Equally as important, we have engaged over 1,250 student volunteers in all aspects of the fight against hunger at UAB and created a supportive environment that embraces the diverse backgrounds of our shoppers.”

In another full-circle moment, in addition to volunteering for Blazer Kitchen, Stewart is now a UAB orientation leader—a prestigious leadership position on campus—which is where she first learned about Blazer Kitchen.

“I always stress the access and how wonderful Blazer Kitchen is to these incoming students,” she said.

Stewart said she’s proud to be a soon-to-be graduate of a university with a heart for serving its community like UAB does.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she said.

How to Help

There are many ways you can donate to help Blazer Kitchen continually flourish.