Caring Kitchen Project

Tarney Sheldon, Project Manager

Email:  sheldont@ncoinc.org

Tel: (707) 462-1950

April Cunningham, Kitchen Manager

Email: acunningham@ncoinc.org

Tel: (707) 467-3212

Public Notice:

At NCO’s Caring Kitchen Project we continue to follow the highest standards of sanitation and our clients’ health continues to be our utmost concern. Please know that...

• We plan on providing uninterrupted meal delivery service to our clients who depend on this access to nutritious meals.
• As always, we require volunteers and staff to stay home if they or someone they live with show any signs of illness, or have traveled in the past 2 weeks.
• All of our current volunteers are fully trained in safe food handling practices. 
• We are temporarily suspending new volunteer orientations and trainings as well as temporarily excusing our teen volunteers from service

Now more than ever, NCO’s Caring Kitchen is a vital service. We are committed to providing access to organic, nourishing meals for our clients. Together we will take care of each other and build a healthier, stronger community!

Help us raise $10,000

During this outbreak, our clients need us more than ever. Help us care for them and respond to the many new calls for service we are receiving from medical providers.  The people we serve are mostly over 65 and all have serious health conditions. They are…

• At high risk for Covid-19,

• Mostly living alone and lack support,

• Lacking the financial resources to purchase meals,

• And one-third say they need additional meals or groceries delivered. 

Our nourishing meals allow clients to manage their health conditions and stay healthy at home, away from exposure to COVID-19 and out of impacted hospitals. In short, we need to expand our services.  Can you help us extend our reach?

Your simple gesture will help us spread love, generosity and gratitude during this crisis.  $40 provides 4 nourishing, organic meals. $80 pays for additional groceries or meals to cover a client’s full nutritional needs for a week. Please give whatever you can right now so we can be there for our community – every donation, little or big, counts. Donate now by using the PayPal button on this page, or by mailing a check to the Caring Kitchen at 413 N. State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482.

The Caring Kitchen Story:

Our client "Dan" who is 57 and is in the midst of 4 weeks of daily cancer treatment, feels deep gratitude for the Caring Kitchen Project meals he's receiving each week. He's overcome with emotion when he tells us that this is the first time in his entire life that he has had someone give him a meal. Dan has had to go it alone for so much of his life, and now, to have strangers making delicious meals for him, delivering them to his house, and supporting him in this way while he fights his cancer, is so powerful. It keeps him going during the days when he feels like the fight against cancer is too hard.

It takes only $20 to provide one meal to a client like Dan... and $960 to provide 3 weekly meals for 16 weeks while Dan and others are undergoing cancer treatment and facing a critical health need. These meals are provided free of charge for the first 16 weeks. It's partners in the community (like YOU!) that make this possible. Invest in supporting people with a critical health need in our community by clicking on the PayPal button, or by mailing your contribution to NCO Caring Kitchen Project, 413 N. State Street, Ukiah, CA 95482

In addition to impacting the lives of people like Dan, the Caring Kitchen also impacts the lives of teens. The Caring Kitchen Project provides opportunities for teen volunteers to develop culinary skills, nutrition knowledge, and job readiness skills under the direction of a chef, and in collaboration with adult volunteer mentors. We find that cooking and sharing food creates and strengthens a sense of community, and the act of preparing and providing food to people facing cancer empowers teen volunteers to feel the full positive impact they can make in the world. Watch the Caring Kitchen volunteers in action, and learn more about what we do every week... Click HERE: Video 

NEWS AND EVENTS:

• Mark your Calendars for 2020 Event Dates -- Springtime Garden Party and Open House, CANCELLED -- Summer Fun-raising Party at Brutocao in Hopland, August 1, 2020
• We are truly a community organization - "Giving" is not just about making a donation... It is about making a difference. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see what we're sharing!
• The Grow a Row Campaign is ongoing. Join in the campaign by donating organic produce, herbs, berries, and tree fruits for the Caring Kitchen's meals. Donations are accepted on Mondays between 8:30am-4:30pm in Ukiah at 413 N. State Street... please call first to make sure that your organic produce donation is something that will be useful for our client meals. Contact April Cunningham 707-467-3212 or acunningham@ncoinc.org to check in, or to make arrangements to drop off produce at the Ukiah kitchen.

WE'RE RECRUITING! (temporarily on hold... we'll be maintaining a waiting list for prospective volunteers) 

• Adult Volunteers: We're looking for a volunteers to help tend the veggie garden at Mendocino College in Ukiah as well as volunteers to help process and preserve the spring bounty of produce. Please contact April Cunningham at acunningham@ncoinc.org (or call 707-467-3212) for further information.
• Teen Volunteers: We invite teens (ages 13-19) to complete our Teen Volunteer Application. After receiving your application, we'll contact you about upcoming pre-service workshops so that you'll be prepared to jump right into our kitchen meal preparation team. Please contact Tarney Sheldon at sheldont@ncoinc.org (or call 707-462-1950) to let her know you're applying. This spring, the volunteer shifts will be on Tuesdays 3:30-5:30pm and Wednesdays from 3:00-5:30pm.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES OF THE CARING KITCHEN PROJECT

• Support the health and recovery of individuals undergoing cancer treatment and their families by providing organic, vegetable-rich meals designed for healing
• Train teen volunteers in nutrition, cooking, and job skills
• Develop a sense of empathy in the community’s youth
• Foster meaningful connections and a sense of community for all partners and participants
• Source from local, organic food producers
• Promote “Food as Medicine” in the broader community

Chronic diseases account for the four leading causes of death in Mendocino County, with cancer (including lung cancer) and heart disease causing over 50% of all deaths, followed by stroke and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Prevention is key, and experiencing healthier living through quality, vegetable-rich meals is just what the Caring Kitchen Project is all about.

The Caring Kitchen Project includes the following components:

• Offering a weekly delivery of three-five meals to cancer patients and their families in the Ukiah, Redwood Valley, and Willits area
• Training teen volunteers to prepare wholesome meals two afternoons per week
• Preparing nutritious meals with many ingredients sourced from local organic farmers and community members
• Utilizing a local commercial kitchen to prepare the meals, with teens and adult volunteers working side by side
• Delivering meals via “delivery angels,” volunteers who will pick up meals once a week from the kitchen and deliver them to clients

OUR FOUNDING PARTNERS:

• North Coast Opportunities
• Cancer Resource Centers of Mendocino County
• Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA)
• Adventist Health Ukiah Valley
• Community volunteers

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