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Don's Column: In reviewing the past issues of our newsletter, it appears as if we are speaking to a small group of friends who know all there is to know about Community Kitchen, Inc. This is typical for a grass-roots organization where staff, volunteers, and clients are closely involved in the daily operations of the mission. This column will speak to newer donors, and of course to future donors, to introduce and remind all of us of our mission. We’ll call this edition, “A Day At The Kitchen”. |
Welcome! This morning like each morning six days a week, the staff arrive
early to get the food prepared and the office opened. Menus are planned in
advance and must take into account the inventory housed in both a large walk-in
freezer and cooler. Everything is labeled and dated, and almost always allows
for a well-balanced, nutritious meal. Meals are generally prepared for 300
diners, but there is always a back-up plan for days when over 400 arrive.
Volunteers begin to arrive later in the morning and are given assignments
such as finishing a salad. Volunteers perform almost all of the serving line
duties, and help with the clean up.
At Community Kitchen, we call our clients, diners, just like a restaurant!
While there are rules, our diners may come as early as 8:00 a.m., and can
have a cup of coffee and watch TV. Diners can be people that we have served
for years, people who we are meeting for the first time, or people who have
not needed our services for several months. While we do not ask questions
or fill out forms on each diner, we have developed an informal system that
enables us to describe our population to our donors. About half of the diners
have a health disability that prevents them from gainful employment. Even
among this group, there is a great deal of diversity, from physically disabled
people who have finally qualified for SSI or Social Security, to people who
have recently experienced a health crises, to people who have lived for years
in an institution. Other groups are the homeless, grandparents raising grandchildren,
employed persons with below poverty-level incomes, and the unemployed who
are actively seeking work. While these labels can be important to some of
our donors, we insist on a label-free atmosphere that allows everyone to feel
welcome. Feeding the hungry is our core mission but we also want to feed self
worth, pride, and dignity.
Before and after the meal serving time, office staff are busy with a variety of services. COTA bus passes are provided with a verified medical appointment or new job . Phone calls are allowed for job hunting, medical, or utility crises. Referrals are available for anything needed with the highest volume for housing, employment, and health care. We know the health and human service system well, but we also know that we are often the first place someone feels comfortable enough to ask for help. The average number of referrals made each month is 4,931.
