Our Kitchen Table is an incredible grassroots organization that builds community capacity in the areas of food systems, general wellbeing and environmental justice. With a small staff they manage a farmer's market, women's breast-feeding clinics and food education programs at local middle schools and the community at large. Funding is managed and reported on well and expected outcomes are typically exceeded.
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Our Kitchen Table (OKT) is empowering people to take charge of their physical and emotional health through food systems education and action. Focusing primarily on food insecure neighborhoods in urban areas, OKT provides educational programs on the health benefits of making smart food choices and taking responsibility ensuring access to healthy food. On the ground training helps stakeholders evaluate the benefits and threats of healthy food versus non-healthy choices. OKT, then take that knowledge and teaches how to grow healthy food in an urban environment starting with soil testing for such urban threats as lead contamination, supplemental soil corrections through composting and nutrient loading , gardening knowledge, food harvesting, cooking and long-term storage. As part of the overall approach, OKT promotes and manages the development of local farmers markets serving food disadvantaged neighborhoods. Successful OKT growers and outlying small rural farmers are encouraged to participate which provides them with supplemental income and help broaden the outreach of healthy food to community members outside the OKT programs. Using a Farmers Market approach also reduces the carbon intensity of the food enjoyed by the programs consumers because of its focus on local food versus the traditional international food distribution system. OKT has received many testimonials from participants regarding the life-changing benefits of their efforts.
Our Kitchen Table is an incredible organization. This organization truly understands what is takes to achieve food justice in a community. From working with local schools to empower parents and kids with nutrition education and food policy information to increasing neighborhood fresh food access by managing local farmers markets, OKT does it all. They truly take a holistic approach to healthy food access that involves the whole community.
OKT's push to end food insecurity deserves to be acknowledged! One of the many things OKT does is it teaches individuals how to source healthy foods through growing it themselves. Gardening is a skill that anyone can benefit from, but teaching those same people how to preserve and prepare the foods they grow takes this this work to the next level. Lisa and the OKT team works with many organizations throughout the community and beyond to ensure individuals have access to healthy foods. Our community is better for having an organization like OKT in it!
Hello my name is La'Kenyia and I've been involved with OKT for over two years. At first when a friend of mine gave me an invite to join OKT's PFG team my response was nonchalant and I didn't put much thought into it. When she proposed the invite a second time I said ok I'll check it out. From that point on I haven't looked back I am forever grateful Our Creator allowed OKT to be part of my lifestyle journey. Since joining I've tried vegetables I've never thought I would, went on farm tours, gardening conventions, connected with growers from across the states, gained more knowledge on Agriculture, became more knowledgeable on bettering my health as well as my family, & most importantly I've been able to educate my family and share with others what I've learned from the benefits of growing your own food and being more knowledgeable about what we are consuming from our every day grocery stores/markets. Our family is truly blessed from the impact OKT has made in our lives.
Our Kitchen Table is an amazing non-profit that believes in empowering communities and families. I have learned to grow my own food organically, read and understand nutrition labels, cook and eat healthier, and developed a camaraderie with program participants that is unmatched and unbreakable. I have even lost 65 pounds while participating in the initiative. This program is "community" at its finest and authentic food justice.