Build the Kitchen, Feed the Community

It is a very exciting time here at Community Kitchen! As you have likely heard by now, in January of this year Community Kitchen purchased a facility at 1515 S Rogers St, that will be renovated to be the new Community Kitchen. This purchase was the culmination of years of planning, organizing, saving and just making do with limited space.

 

What makes 1515 S. Rogers St. so perfect for Community Kitchen:

• It is the least expensive of all available scenarios.
• It is still in the McDoel Gardens Neighborhood, where we have been located for nearly 20 years.
• It is on the same bus line as our current location.
• It has ample space for necessary parking.
• It is closer to the largest contingent of our patrons, who come not from downtown but from south of us.
• It is exactly the square footage needed as determined by our feasibility study.
• The exterior of the building is in good shape and of sufficient size and layout for our use.
• All of the construction work (besides parking lot and landscaping work) is interior.

 

To move in, we will need to first renovate this facility. Renovation costs are expected to be in the neighborhood of $900,000. We have already secured approximately $500,000 of those necessary funds from the City of Bloomington (CDBG), Monroe County Commissioners, Monroe County Council, Bloomington Township, Perry Township, , Smithville Charitable Foundation, Community Kitchen Staff and Board of Directors, and local donors. We still need to raise another $400,000 to get there.   When renovations are completed, we will have: Approximately 1,100 sq ft of kitchen and prep space. Dining room capacity nearly double what we currently have. A family dining room so that families with children can have a more intimate, family-style meal. 23 parking spaces on site. Ample bike parking. All of our food stored on site (haven’t been able to do that for more than 10 years)! Appropriate flow of food through the building. Necessary office and public restroom space. A stable future for Community Kitchen operations.

 

While we have been grateful to Perry Township for providing space and utility assistance at 917 S. Rogers St. for all of these years, it is time for Community Kitchen to take full responsibility for ourselves. It is time for us to take responsibility for our own space needs and free up township funds and assistance to meet additional needs in the community. Liken us to the recent college graduate who has secured a steady job and is ready to get out on his/her own. It is time for us to mature and take responsibility for our own future.

 

We hope the community has valued our service over the past 27 years and will invest in the future of our services now by contributing to our Capital Campaign Build the Kitchen, Feed the Community. We know you understand the importance of providing food assistance for those in need. With more than 60% of our patrons being children and another 17% being seniors, you know that we are serving the most vulnerable individuals in our community. Help us renovate this new facility, improve our operations and set Community Kitchen up to be able to continue meeting the needs in our community for years to come. Your gift right now gets us a step closer to the work necessary to move us into this facility in late 2011. It is so important to secure the future of food assistance in our community. We must make sure that children in our community have access to the food they need to grow and thrive. Please help us do that by downloading a pledge card to make a donation or pledge today.  Thank you for your support of Community Kitchen!

 

Download our full case statement for information about Kitchen programs
and how this project makes a difference!

 

Download a Pledge Card to donate today!

 

Watch this short video to learn more about the Community Kitchen...