$3,595 raised by 38 donors
18% complete
$20,000 Goal
The Community Kitchen serves anyone who is hungry in our community. We provide food to those in our community who do not have the means, financial or otherwise, to provide a nutritious meal for themselves. We are the only community kitchen in our county open 7 days a week and with hours in the morning and evening to accommodate work hours.
The Kitchen serves over 100,000 meals each year. The people we serve are in urgent need of food and other support. Over 94% of those we serve earn less than $2,000 a month. One hundred percent of guests report that the Kitchen provides needed food and nutrition, 91% report that it provides a safe place to be during mealtimes, and 84% report that it provides a sense of community and connection with others. Over 69% of those we served reported that they skip meals to save money. Among unmet needs, guests reported the following: finding permanent housing (79%), securing employment (39%) and rental assistance (30%).
"The volunteers are so kind, thank you. Houseless people are not what most people think (the stigma and stereotype). I call [several volunteers] my friends now. I am blessed to come to the kitchen and extremely grateful."
“I am bringing food to my friend who has troubles walking and can't always get food. Thank you for all your help and your prayers.”
“I was informed that my service animal would not be allowed at another kitchen and I am so grateful that community kitchen allows us to eat inside with our service/companion animals. Thank you.”
“Thank you so much for having such a positive attitude, most of us come here so hopeless. It means more to us than the food”
“ Thank you for serving good food with a smile! It makes me feel better about being homeless to come here”
Our mission is to provide FOOD for people who are hungry, CONVERSATION for people who are lonely, REST for people who are struggling, and a VOICE for people in need.
On June 11th, 1996 a meeting was held to discuss the feasibility of a hot lunch program to be established to help the less fortunate of the Loveland community. The Community Kitchen opened on December 10th, 1996 serving a hot noon meal two days a week, later increasing five and then to seven. In 2010 we moved into a beautiful new building at 427 N. Garfield Ave. We partner with the Meals on Wheels agency who prepares our food. Our menus are written by Registered Dietitians and the food is prepared by trained chefs. With donations from local grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries we are able to keep our cost very low. Our meals are delicious and nutritious.
We began providing To-Go-Bags in 2011 to our clients that include items to supplement their daily food needs. Also, in 2013, we added a Continental Breakfast program Mondays through Fridays. In April of 2017, we began serving an evening meal 1 day a week and increased to 2 days a week in 2018 and 3 days a week in 2019. Throughout the pandemic, we continued to serve meals 7 days a week, whether that was in our dining room or to-go bags distributed from a trailer in our parking lot.
Over the past several years, the need for food has increased, and was compounded further by the ending of the federal allotment of emergency SNAP benefits in March of 2023. The Kitchen's food costs increased significantly as well.
Today, the Kitchen provides breakfast Monday - Friday at the Loveland Resource Center and hosts evening service Monday - Sunday. Guests are also offered “sustainable food bags” which are supplemental meals they can take with them. This provides flexibility for those who work and need a lunch they next day, or for those with limited transportation or mobility in that they can take multiple meals and not have to pay for gas or a bus ticket to come back the next day.
On October 31, 2023, the Kitchen held its 2,500th consecutive meal service and continues to remain open daily!
Organization name
The Community Kitchen
other names
Loveland's Community Kitchen
1996
Tax id (EIN)
84-1539998
Category
Human Services
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Colorado State Tax Credits
Colorado Homeless Credit
Address
427 North Garfield AvenueMailing
PO Box 3033Headquarters
427 N Garfield DrLarimer County, CO, US