Unique Community Kitchen Is Set Up Like a Restaurant So Homeless People can Dine with Dignity

[n2doc]

Although it’s a soup kitchen for the homeless, Kansas City Community Kitchen is set up to resemble a real restaurant, complete with greeters, waiters, and fancy restaurant-quality meals. The idea is to treat the homeless with respect and allow them to enjoy their meal with dignity.

The kitchen, run by Episcopal Community Services, has been around for 30 years, but it re-opened on Feb 5 with a complete makeover. In its new avatar, volunteer staff at the kitchen serve the homeless every weekday, from 11am to 2pm. A host greets them at the entrance, seats them at a table, and presents a menu created by executive chef Michael Curry. A waiter then asks them what they would like to eat and brings them freshly prepared plated lunches. The new restaurant-style initiative is meant to allow the less fortunate to dine with some dignity.

“We are trying to flip the photo of what a soup kitchen looks like,” explained Mandy Caruso-Yahne, directory of community engagement at Episcopal, adding that everyone is welcome in the kitchen, homeless or not.

Curry, who is also the owner of Kansas City restaurant Lil’ Bubba, revealed that he had once lived in poverty and depended on soup kitchens for his daily meals. So he’s happy to be able to give back to the community by developing a variety of interesting and healthy dishes for the menu. He even takes into consideration dietary restrictions based on health conditions or religious beliefs, and asks diners for reviews and suggestions. A lunch plate during Lent, for example, consisted of spiced swai, broccoli cheese casserole, garlic-Parmesan fries with house ketchup, and simple greens salad with tomato-water vinaigrette.

“Last week we had guests asking us when we were going to do some barbecue,” Curry said. “So when we prepared our chicken a couple of days later, we decided to make it into pulled chicken sandwiches with our house-made sauce that doesn’t have as much sugar and salt.”

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[daleanime]

1. ......

[FSogol]

2. Very cool. Thanks for posting. n/t

[mountain grammy]

3. I love how he calls them "guests"

dignity, common dignity. What every human being deserves.

[Hydra]

4. I saw this earlier today and was ecstatic to see it

I've dreamt of services like this provided by the gov't to have everyone what they need in a high quality and dignified fashion, and to have the people providing the help to be well paid for doing so.

Investing in our people and our society. I think it's worth it.

[HuckleB]

5. Recommended.

[tblue37]

6. Here in Lawrence, KS, we have a similar "restaurant" (in a church) to serve breakfast to

those in need--called Jubilee Cafe. People have to volunteer in advance to have a chance to serve at the cafe:

http://www.cco.ku.edu/team/jubilee-cafe/

JUBILEE CAFE COMMUNITY BREAKFAST PROGRAM

Jubilee Cafe provides breakfast for in-need community members in a restaurant-style environment. The program runs from 5:30AM to approximately 8:15AM Tuesday and Friday mornings at the First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont Street.

Jubilee Cafe is a popular volunteer activity and often operates at volunteer capacity during the academic year. In order to assure positive volunteer experiences and efficiently serve breakfast, Jubilee requires groups to reserve a date to volunteer. Open shifts can be found at volunteer.ku.edu. Individuals can register by clicking the “Respond” button for the shift they want. Groups can also register as a team. Reservations are made on a first come, first serve basis, and all individuals who volunteer must be registered on volunteer.ku.edu. If a shift is full, volunteers will need to make arrangements for a different day.

[w0nderer]

7. K&R & crosspost to poverty n/t

[librechik]

8. We have one of those in Denver, too. It's called SAME cafe, on East Colfax

If you can't afford to pay, you don't. If you want to pay, you pay what you can. If you want to help out, they put you to work.

We helped set up the kitchen and bought them a truck, back when we were a family foundation. It's a great service!