Kitchens for Good

Kitchens for Good Logo

Basic Information

Address: 404 Euclid Avenue Suite #102
Phone Number: 6194504040
Director: Nina Holtz

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Kitchens for Good
Kitchens for Good
Kitchens for Good
Kitchens for Good

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Additional Information

Causes Served: Unemployment, Food Waste, Hunger
Clearances Required: No
Background Check: No
Population Served: Individuals experiencing food insecurity; individuals with high barriers to employment (transitioning out of the justice system, homelessness, foster care, and domestic violence)
Ages for Volunteer: 10 years and older
Hours of Service: 3 hours per shift (Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6pm-9pm)
Minimum Hours Required: 2.5 hours per shift
Days of Service: Monday and Wednesday nights (weekly)
Mission Statement:

Kitchens for Good breaks the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy meal production, and social enterprise.

Philosophy/Belief Statement:

We believe kitchens are engines for social change. Through our culinary apprenticeship program, we empower individuals with high barriers to employment by providing them the life skills and knife skills they need to succeed in San Diego's booming foodservice and hospitality industry.

Program History:

Kitchens for Good was started by restaurateur and Executive Chef, Chuck Samuelson, in 2014. While working at some of San Diego's premier restaurants, Samuelson was shocked by the enormous amount of food being wasted while many in the community lacked access to a meal. Samuelson turned toward his mentor, Robert Egger, who pioneered the country's first "community kitchen" models in Washington DC and Los Angeles, to build a program in San Diego that would not only rescue surplus food from being wasted and prepare meals for the food insecure, but would train people perceived as "unemployable" for careers in the culinary industry. In summer 2015, Kitchens for Good launched operations at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Southeast San Diego. Kitchens for Good has a proven track record and is developing a robust approach to tackling food insecurity, food waste and unemployment under one roof.

Events:

Community Cooking Days is a weekly volunteer program that brings together volunteers and students to transform reclaimed produce into hundreds of hunger relief meals. Volunteers learn culinary skills from Kitchen for Good’s students and create up to 300 meals per session for community partners like Jewish Family Services and Crisis House. Gloves, hairnets, and aprons are provided.

Additional Information:

PURPOSE: The purpose of Community Cooking Days is to foster meaningful dialogues, produce hunger relief meals, and cultivate community.

ACTIVITIES:

  • Food prep (gleaning, slicing, dicing, saucing, zesting)

  • Cooking, meal assembly, packaging, and cleaning

SIGN-UP: After registering as a KFG Volunteer, please visit your Personal KFG Volunteer Site and click on the "Job Calendar" tab in order to sign up for upcoming shift

QUALIFICATIONS:CCDflyer1.png

  • Children ages 10 and older only

  • No prior kitchen experience necessary

  • Closed-toe, no-slip shoes are required

  • Long hair must be pulled back

  • All jewelry must be taken off prior to the session (watches, rings, etc.) (food safety)

PRE-SESSION REMINDERS:

  • VOLUNTEER RELEASE WAIVER: All volunteers must sign and submit our Volunteer Waiver prior to participating (additional copies will be available onsite)

  • PUNCTUALITY: Please strive to arrive early; our sessions begin promptly at the designated "start time"

  • AGE LIMIT: All ages are welcome to participate in our sessions, however, participants ages 10 and up are able to engage most fully with the tasks. Volunteer Waivers for youth must be completed by parents / guardians prior to the start of the session.

    • Children under the age of 10 are not allowed to use knives without their guardian's consent; appropriate tasks for each age group will be delegated by the Volunteer Coordinator and agreed upon by the child's parents/guardians

SUPPORT: Community Cooking Days Volunteers will participate in an orientation onsite. Our team will teach volunteers culinary techniques and food safety protocol as well as provide ongoing guidance throughout the session.

PARKING: The Jacobs Center provides 400 free parking spots in our shared lot. Upon entering the "Market Creek Plaza" Shopping Center after turning off of Euclid Avenue, drive past the Food 4 Less and Asia Wok until you reach the Jacobs Center Parking Lot. Our front office faces west towards the parking lot; you should see the 'Kitchens for Good" signage and our two lemon trees outside our front door. Google Maps Link for Jacobs Centerkfgmap.JPG