St. Michael's Kitchen Renovation 2025
A lifeline to fight food insecurity.
Our Saturday Kitchen meal and grocery program offers crucial support for our neighbors in need. It’s also a place of respect, caring and collaboration.
Key facts:
- Over 17,000 meals served in 2024
- 350 meals every week — Over 100% more than pre-pandemic
- Over 35 weekly volunteers
- Costs more than $130K per year to operate
- More than 40+ years of continuous operation
Obsolete facilities are stretched to the limit
The basic kitchen design dates from 1948:
- Too cramped
- No stovetop so we no longer can make soups or pasta
- Limited food storage, so we can’t bulk-buy fresh fruits and vegetables
Our best solution is a new commercial kitchen
This means meeting tough City code requirements. Basically, everything must change:
- New fire-suppression and air-management systems
- New chimney
- New floor, cabinets, walls, ceiling, drains, sinks, dishwasher and hot water supply
- New equipment
We will add efficiency and needed capacity
- Consolidate work spaces
- Create a pass-through directly from the kitchen to the bagging area
- Increase freedom of movement in the kitchen
- Elevate sanitation standards
- Expand food storage and refrigeration, including walk-in fridge/freezer
It will cost over $2 million to install a commercial kitchen in our old building.
- Substantial funding has already been assembled, but we have a long way to go
- We would not do this project if we did not have growing pains — In 2024, we again
broke our record for meals served
Ready to help
make this dream
a reality?
How to give your financial support:
- Check: Make payable to “St. Michael’s Church” and write “New Kitchen” in the memo line.
- Online:
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- Use your credit/debit card. Click here and select “DWO – Kitchen Campaign” from the drop-down menu.
- Use Zelle or Paypal. Click here and indicate “New Kitchen” as the purpose.
- To make non-religious donations:
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- Contribute to St. Michael’s Community Programs, Inc. — A registered 501(c)(3) organization — Eligible for matching employer gifts. Click here
- For major giving:
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- Contact our Doors Wide Open campaign chairpersons Lucy Culver or Beth Ann Day
We are making progress, but there is a long way to go...
How much should you give?
Giving capacity is very individual. And you may already support numerous causes.
Please dig deep to help this one-time community project happen.
Maybe surprise yourself!
