At Northeast State, a $2 Meal Adds Up to Something More

After repeated flooding brought additional hardship to communities in Northeast Tennessee, Metz Culinary Management Chef Manager Brandy Pitzer knew some students at Northeast State Community College were feeling the strain. She also knew the college's campus food pantry was running low.

So Pitzer and her Metz team came up with a simple idea that could help students on both sides of the equation: offer an unusually affordable meal while giving the campus community an easy way to help restock the pantry.

The result was "2+2=Good 4 You," a weeklong promotion held September 17-25 at the college's Bear Cafe. Students who brought two canned goods and $2 received a special meal of two pancakes, two sausage links and two eggs. The event also attracted others who simply wanted to contribute canned goods.

Pitzer said the inspiration came partly from an experience she remembered from childhood. An organization hosting a Halloween haunted house asked visitors to bring canned goods instead of charging a traditional admission fee.

By the time the donations were counted, the idea had added up to 46 meals served, $92 in cash collected, and 130 canned goods donated, along with approximately 10 bags of rice, three packages of oats and several boxes of macaroni and cheese for the campus food pantry.

Based on the response to the inaugural event, Pitzer expects "2+2=Good 4 You" to return in the spring, or sooner if the campus pantry has an immediate need.

"We're always looking for ways to support this community," Pitzer said. "This was something simple that everybody could participate in. Two canned goods and two dollars may not seem like much individually, but when people come together, those small contributions can make a real difference."

For Pitzer, who has been with Metz for nearly six years, the promotion reflects the close relationship her four-person dining team has developed with the students they serve.

"We're a small-town community with big hearts and big thoughts," she said. "We know our students, and we care about what happens to them. If we can serve them a good meal and help make life a little easier at the same time, that's what we want to do."