Summary Statement
This has been a busy year for Toni’s Kitchen. Our nutrition program has taken root under the direction of Pat Moulton and our guests are receiving robust nutrition at every meal. Guests are also connecting to valuable new services and our space has been beautifully renovated. Organizationally, Toni’s Kitchen had a challenging year as the Kitchen Management role went through a good deal of transition. It recently landed solidly with Veronique Ramsey. Susan Singer stepped forward to take on the large and challenging job of volunteer scheduling and quickly became our go-to resource. We lost our volunteer who handles correspondence and this is an open volunteer position we are prioritizing. We are grateful to Will Hobbie, Jim Short, Tom Cochran and Susan Singer for joining Pat Moulton and Jim Snodgrass on our Advisory Committee.
Thanks to the work of our loving and caring volunteers both past and present, Toni’s Kitchen is improving and enriching the lives of guests, volunteers and our donors in countless ways. We are also showcasing St. Luke’s as a community that is joyfully seeking and serving Christ and truly walking the walk.
“I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matt 25:40
Who Do We Serve
Toni’s Kitchen serves several populations. Some are truly homeless, living in their cars or sleeping on benches. Many of these individuals have significant mental health issues that go untreated. They are quite literally incapable of taking the steps that we as a society demand of them in order to connect with housing. They cannot access the social safety net and are fully dependent on feeding programs for day-to-day survival.
Many are the working poor. They are sometimes undereducated and working a patchwork of jobs. Some have college educations but had a significant event that caused them to lose their grip. They are climbing their way back but the process is slow and littered with hurdles.
There are a number of guests that just don’t have the intellectual capacity or the mental health needed to successfully navigate jobs, housing, or family. These individuals are often in their 50’s or 60’s and their caregiving parent has passed, leaving them to fend for themselves. Some are younger and have family but their ties have worn thin, whether from their high care-giving demands or from the financial stress of an adult dependent child. They are truly on their own.
The fastest growing segment of our guest population is our senior citizens. Our seniors are finding they can’t keep up with the cost of housing, in particular, but also transportation, utilities and food. Many do not have adequate access to health care.
Please consider volunteering or joining us for a meal. We service wholesome meals to our guests without screening for need on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m.