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DC Central Kitchen, Inc. - charity reviews, charity ratings, best charities, best nonprofits, search nonprofits

Phone: 202-234-0707

425 Second St. Nw
Washington, DC 20001

www.dccentralkitc... Volunteer Donate

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Latest Review

Reviewed by: Jim Torrens

on 01/28/10:

54321
The National Network of Sector Partners (NNSP) visited DC Central Kitchen in 2009 to learn more about their culinary training program - and came away impressed not only by their ability to help very low-income people with barriers to employment get good jobs but also by their ability to inv...   more

Mission

The mission of DC Central Kitchen is to use food as a tool to:

-Empower Minds, by providing culinary job training for unemployed men and women and community service opportunities for youth

-Strengthen Bodies, by safely recovering unserved food from local foodservice businesses to feed children and adults at partner agencies throughout the greater Washington, DC area.

-Build Communities, by providing working examples, innovative solutions, and shared technology to a cooperative and effective national network of programs that use food to make change in their communities.

Key Facts

Target demographics:

Homeless, unemployed, and formerly incarcerated adults in the DC area.

Other DC nonprofit organizations that can benefit from the time, money, and energy they save from having our food delivered instead of making it themselves.  This includes senior centers, children’s after school programs, drug rehab centers, homeless shelters, transitional housing, and schools for at-risk youth.

Results to date:

4500 meals per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For 20 years.

An average of 40-45 students per year graduating from the Culinary Job Training program and going on to gain employment with a living wage, and the confidence to take control of their futures.

Placing over 40 men and women who were living on the streets of DC into permanent supportive housing through our First Helping Homeless Outreach program and our partnership with the city government and Housing First .

Board Members and Affiliation:

Robert Egger, Founder and President

Marie Tibor, Chair, Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington

Jose Andres, Chair Emeritus, ThinkFoodGroup Inc

Lynne Breaux, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington

Jim Burke, Sodexho USA

Josh Carin, Geppetto Catering

Gil Crawford, MicroVest Capital Management, LLC

Ken Crerar, The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers

Xavier Deshayes, Executive Chef- Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Paul Fields, Restaurant Development Services

Michael Freedman, Geiman, Rosenberg & Freedman

Tiffany Godbout, Hotel Association of Washington DC

Ryland Johnson, Zola Restaurant

David Kassir, Georgetown Private Cliente

LaShon Kell, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

Jodie L. Kelley, Fannie Mae

Rev. Ray Kemp, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University

Sam LeBlanc, Balancing Act

Ris Lacoste, Chef and Restaurateur

Chance Patterson, XM Satelitte Radio

Barton Seaver, Chef and Sustainability Consultant

Michael L. Stewart, DCCK CJT Program Graduate

Geoffrey Stricker, Clark Construction

Twanda Thomas, Martha’s Table, DCCK CJT Graduate

Rosetta Thurman, The Nonprofit Roundtable

Nancy Torray, Robert E. Torray and Anne P. Torray Family Foundation

Rob Wilder, Chair Emeritus, ThinkFoodGroup Inc.

Rhonda Willingham, MenzFit

Key Staff

Robert Egger, President and Founder

Michael Curtin, CEO

Rafael Chapman, Chief Financial Officer

Gregg Malsbary, Director of Programs and Revenue Generating

Brian MacNair, Chief Development Officer

Jerald Thomas, Director of Kitchen Operations

Marianne Ali, Director of Culinary Job Training Program

Jamie Schuman, Partner Relations Manager

Allison Sosna, Executive Chef of Fresh Start Catering and Contract Foods

Steve Robinson, Transportation Manager

Description

Recovers unused, surplus food, prepares 4,000 meals a day for 100 social service agencies serving homeless in DC, while incorporating job training and employment services.

Programs

Founded in 1989, D. C. Central Kitchen is founded on the premise that waste is wrong, be it food, money, or the potential for people to live productive lives. Our Food Recycling/Meal Distribution Program recovers unserved,perishable food and re=prepares that food to provide free meal service to more than 100 social service organizations in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. In addition to facilitating food recycling and providing meal service to area agencies, the Kitchen offers a Culinary Job Training Program and job placement services for unemployed and/or homeless adults in the DC area. In 1997, the Kitchen launched a street level outreach meal and case management services to the homeless in all quadrants of the District. The project, First Helping, is a collaborative partnership between the Kitchen, other service providers and the religious and business communities. Today,DC Central Kitchen has grown to become a national model for more than 60 ?community kitchens,? as well as 20 high school based community kitchens and five college-based ?Campus Kitchens? (www.campuskitchens.org) operating throughout the United States. DCCK continues to provided technical assistance to groups from across the nation and the world. Kitchens share knowledge and experiences through a shared website at www.KitchensINC.org