JAMESTOWN – In an act of generosity, Wyoming’s Northwest College sent the University of Jamestown its mobile kitchen equipment Jan. 24 in response to UJ’s recent kitchen fire.

Northwest College President Lisa Watson took it upon herself to reach out to the University of Jamestown regarding mobile kitchen equipment previously used by her college during construction that was no longer needed. She offered it to UJ – no strings attached.

“When I heard about the fire, I felt called to help,” said Watson, originally from Beach.

Staff from Northwest College drove more than 1,200 miles, from Powell, Wyoming, to Jamestown and back to deliver the first installation of equipment. A second installation was delivered on Jan. 26.

Dustin Jensen, vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Jamestown, said he felt inspired by Northwest College’s selflessness.

“It’s just amazing that they would drive thousands of miles to Jamestown, stay on campus for five minutes to unhook, and head back. It’s inspiring to see people dive in and do what they can to help,” he said. “There have been so many people doing so many good things.”

Following the university’s fire on Jan. 19, UJ staff and faculty have been working tirelessly, in conjunction with their food service provider, Sodexo, to ensure students are fed.

Dan Kucera, UJ Sodexo general manager, expressed his gratitude, saying the new mobile kitchen equipment will help his staff provide students with a more robust dining experience:

“This is the biggest smile I’ve had on my face for the week. This is going to make our staff happy, which will make the students happy. That’s the goal after all,” he said.