We just did our final count of pots and pans that were donated to the Kitchen through the Thrifty's Vivo kitchen equipment campaign and I am in complete and utter shock!
Including the 8 raincheck items that we know are coming from Barb and St. Luke's, we have officially received a whopping 146 brand new pots and pans to share with our participants!!!
Our team is overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for our partner organizations and everyone in the community who made this campaign so wildly successful. We want to send our deepest thanks to each and everyone who generously donated their stamps, donated cash to cover the remaining 8% that was required for each item, and the incredible team of Community Partner and Founding Partner Organization reps who worked so hard to promote and coordinate the campaign. Wow!
As you can imagine, many of our participants have very limited cooking equipment at home, but having basic cookware makes preparing healthy meals easier for all of us! Sharing kitchen equipment with the individuals and families we serve is one of the ways that The Kitchen supports our community and promotes food literacy.
Over the last two months, our participants have been sharing their feedback and ideas with us through our Garden Program and Food Skills Program surveys. Every participant who completes one of our program surveys is automatically entered into our April Kitchen Equipment Draw, when we will distribute the 146 Vivo pots and pans as well as the beautiful homemade dishtowel sets that community members have made! The feedback we receive through these surveys provides vital information for program development as we gain greater insight about our participants priorities, skill levels, and the types of programs and services that would be most helpful for them. Thanks to the April Kitchen Equipment Draw and gathered prizes, we have received a wealth of invaluable feedback and information from our participants which will help to inform all of our work in 2022 and 2023 as we continue adapt our services to meet changing participant needs.
On behalf of everyone at the Shelbourne Community Kitchen, thank you again for your incredible support and generosity.
In utter shock and awe,
Kim Cummins
A note from Kim Cummins, Shelbourne Community Kitchen Program Director to Broad View United, St. Luke Cedar Hill, and Lutheran Church of the Cross.