DU Lacrosse Alum and Current Players Turn Food Waste Into Meals For Denverites In Need

Current DU men's lacrosse players Jimmy Freehill, Tim Kirchner, Casey Wilson and Jack Tortolani complete prep work for meals that are delivered to families in need. The team partnered with Denver nonprofit Philo's Kitchen, run by DU alum and former lacrosse player Alex Demopoulos.

The ancient Greek word “philo” means friend. Through his nonprofit organization Philo’s Kitchen, University of Denver alumnus and former lacrosse player Alex Demopoulos (BA ’12) strives to be a friend to those in need.

Demopoulos and his wife Aubrey started Philo’s Kitchen three years ago after another business they had was forced to close during the COVID-19 pandemic. They had been working in low-income school districts in Denver, helping kids and families facing food insecurity. 

It was those experiences and wanting to find a way to provide access to nutritious meals that fueled the vision for Philo’s Kitchen.

Alex and Aubrey met with food banks and other food distributors and, taking what they learned combined that with what they already knew about school districts, they designed Philo’s Kitchen to address what they saw as two major issues: individuals struggling with food insecurity and food banks overwhelmed with excess food.

Now, thanks to the work of volunteers and community partnerships like their most recent work with the University of Denver Men’s Lacrosse team, they are doing just that.

“We’ve found a way to address both problems by using one to solve the other—turning potential food waste into nutritious frozen meals. This approach not only reduces waste but also provides individuals with the convenience of ready-made meals, eliminating the need for families cook from scratch,” says Demopoulos, who works full-time running the organization.

More specifically, the nonprofit collects a variety of fruits and vegetables and then cooks, packages and freezes the cooked meals, extending the shelf life. 

In addition to recovering perishable produce before it goes to waste, Philo’s Kitchen also holds food drives to collect non-perishable staples like rice, beans, pasta, sauces and more. 

Philo’s Kitchen then delivers the food back out to Denver families through two existing partnerships: the Food Exchange Resource Network (FERN) and the affordable housing organization Rocky Mountain Communities.

The organization has put together close to 2,800 meals and saved 6,000 pounds of food over the course of approximately 16 months. While the nonprofit currently rents kitchen space at a local church, volunteers who want to get involved can cook right in their homes after picking up a meal kit.

From the field to the kitchen

Philo’s Kitchen also organizes cooking events with local organizations. As a former DU lacrosse player, Demopoulos called upon his former assistant coach, now Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Matt Brown, to enlist some of the current players to cook meals at their off-campus home. 

“It’s a real honor to be back on campus and to get to cook with you guys and hopefully get the word out to as many people (in the DU and broader Denver community) as possible—and have fun doing it,” Demopoulos said to Brown and a few members of the team when he met with them last month.

Led by Demopoulos, Brown and current players Tim Kirchner, Casey Wilson, Jack Tortolani and Jimmy Freehill spent a few hours that day during finals week huddled around the granite island chopping, peeling, dicing and assembling vegetable pasta and burritos.

The cooking event was also a chance for the team to give back and work alongside someone who was previously in their shoes.

“It’s special to be able to foster these relationships with guys that used to be in our shoes and we’re fortunate that we have alums that want to come back, interact with us and help us out in any way that we can, and, because of that, it makes us want to do the same for them,” Tortolani says.

Brown stressed the importance of his current players seeing a former DU student athlete make such a difference in the community. 

“I’m so proud of Alex. I had a chance to coach him, and now seeing what he’s doing, just to support him with his dreams and passions just makes for a wonderful experience across the board,” he says.

The passion and love Demopoulos has for his work, and the inspiration that shows for the current student athletes, is what being a Pioneer is all about, Brown says.

“It’s super special (that he’s here). He’s gone through the process that we’re going through, and it makes me think that maybe I could have an impact on my community like this in 10 years—which would be awesome,” Kirchner says. 

In addition to working with more members of the lacrosse team and other volunteers throughout the Denver area, Demopoulos has several goals in mind to help build upon the success of Philo’s Kitchen.

He and his wife hope to one day build a fully functioning commercial kitchen and warehouse space. This will allow them to maximize meal production, store more ingredients and streamline operations. A permanent location could also serve as a central hub for community engagement programs and additional innovative opportunities, he says.

And as the month of December marks both Giving Tuesday and Colorado Gives Day, Philo’s Kitchen is also always looking for ways to raise funds through events, grants and donations to expand the team and operations. The organization is hosting a fundraiser social on Colorado Gives Day at Players Pub on Broadway. 

“While we are proud of our progress, there is still an overwhelming amount of food being wasted, and we aim to become the central hub in Denver where groups can bring excess food, knowing it will be used to feed those in need,” Demopoulos says.