Food Gatherers Community Kitchen serves millionth meal

Yesterday, Food Gatherers Community Kitchen served its millionth meal since opening in 2003. In celebration of this milestone, guests at the kitchen enjoyed fruit and yogurt parfaits.
 
Located at the Robert J. Delonis Center in downtown Ann Arbor, the Community Kitchen seeks to engage and nourish the Ann Arbor community by providing wholesome meals to anyone in need. The kitchen serves three meals a day Monday through Friday and two meals on Saturday and Sunday. On any given day, volunteers and staff can serve up to 300 individuals. Special meals and snacks are also prepared for guests who have started jobs and cannot afford to bring their lunch to work or guests with medical conditions such as diabetes. The Community Kitchen relies heavily on volunteers to prepare and serve meals: in fiscal year 2013, volunteers dedicated more than 16,000 hours of service at the Community Kitchen.

Before the Community Kitchen opened, the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, which is also located in the Delonis Center, lacked the capacity to prepare or serve meals on site. The Community Kitchen’s centralized location now enables guests of the Shelter Association to avoid walking in the cold to get food and also increases accessibility for those at the shelter with physical limitations. 

“The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County is so pleased to be partners with the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen at the Delonis Center.  It is truly amazing to be celebrating one million meals served!  All of us at the SAWC want to congratulate everyone who has been involved over so many years,” said Ellen Schulmeister, Executive Director of the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

Since 2005, the Community Kitchen has hosted Food Gatherers’ Community Kitchen Job Training Program, which provides at-risk youth with six weeks of instruction in the culinary arts, food safety, life skills and community service. To date, this program has graduated more than 130 students, several of whom have gone on to complete internships and obtain full-time employment with Food Gatherers. The Community Kitchen also works in partnership with the YMCA Chain of Plenty, which provides life skills and food service training to special needs youth.

The Community Kitchen’s millionth meal comes on the heels of another Food Gatherers milestone, as the organization celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding in November.

“The Community Kitchen is a vital part of our hunger-relief efforts because it allows us to directly connect with those in need in our community,” said Eileen Spring, President and CEO of Food Gatherers. “We’re proud to have served Washtenaw County for 25 years and grateful for the community’s ongoing support in the fight against hunger.”

To raise awareness and support for Food Gatherers’ mission, a local, anonymous donor has offered to match, dollar for dollar, all donations made to Food Gatherers now through March 31. Individuals are encouraged to make their gifts online at www.foodgatherers.org/donate. Check donations should be postmarked by March 31 and mailed to: Food Gatherers, PO Box 7971, Ann Arbor, MI 48107. For questions about the match, please call 734-761-2796.

About:
Food Gatherers is Washtenaw County’s food bank and food rescue program, distributing more than 5.5 million pounds of food to 150 non-profit programs serving low-income adults, seniors and children annually. Recipient programs include hot meal programs, residential programs and programs targeting low-income children and seniors. For a list of food donors and recipient agencies or to learn how you can become involved in the fight against hunger locally, please visit the web at www.foodgatherers.org or call (734) 761-2796.