One Community, One Kitchen

In normal times, Second Harvest prepares hundreds of meals a day in our 6,500 square-foot Community Kitchen for after-school and summer feeding programs.  These programs help at-risk children get the key nutrition they need every day.

When schools abruptly closed and thousands of families and seniors suddenly found themselves homebound, our kitchen staff and volunteers immediately shifted into high gear.

“Community Kitchen staff and volunteers have done tremendous work in past disasters,” said Community Outreach Director Crystal Harris. “But this emergency is like nothing we’ve ever seen.”

Normally producing between 800 and 1,000 meals a day, the kitchen is now on pace to produce more than 10,000 emergency meals a day.  Every day, the meals and snack packs are delivered to multiple locations, such as low-income senior housing, assisted living facilities, Councils on Aging, and sites like NORD recreation centers and playgrounds where families can safely pick up meals for their children.

“We’ve added additional shifts to produce meals round the clock, and thanks to monetary donations, we have been able to hire additional staff and purchase important equipment to help us dramatically feed more people. There is no way we could have done this without the incredible support of our donors,” Harris said. “A million thank-yous to everyone making this possible.”