FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation
Media Contact:
Liz Faris, Communications Manager
(619) 527-6161 ext. 376, lfaris@jacobscenter.org
Kitchens for Good
Media Contact:
Lisa Field, Katalyst PR
(619) 313-7718, lisa@katalyst-pr.com
SAN DIEGO, CA (October 8, 2015) –
The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation has selected Kitchens For Good (KFG), a social enterprise founded upon the idea that kitchens can be drivers of economic and social change for a community, to operate its 22,000-square-foot kitchen and event space at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center in Southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods. During its first year of operation, Kitchens for Good will distribute more than 30,000 meals to the hungry and provide culinary and hospitality job training and placement services to 80 local residents.
Kitchens for Good will operate the full-service catering and events company formerly known as True Roots Catering and Jacobs Meetings and Events, create livable wage jobs for culinary and hospitality graduates, provide financial sustainability for the organization, and generate revenue that is reinvested in community programs. The Jacobs Center is a longtime supporter of workforce training and community capacity building in the Diamond Neighborhoods. “We are naturally evolving what we started with True Roots Catering to a more structured workforce training program that creates career opportunities for local residents” said Reginald Jones, the Jacobs Center’s CEO & President.
Kitchens for Good breaks the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise. KFG builds a bridge to close the gap between wasted food and hunger by rescuing and purchasing surplus and cosmetically imperfect food from wholesalers and farmers, then engaging its culinary job training students to transform these ingredients into nutritious meals and products for hungry families. This approach not only addresses the most immediate needs of hunger, but also tackles poverty through a workforce-training program that provides individuals the skills to become self-sufficient. “Businesses and nonprofits will not just be hosting events and meetings through Kitchens for Good,” says KFG Founder and President Chuck Samuelson, “they’ll be helping people in need.”
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About the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation
Founded in 1995, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation is focused on building communities and lifting lives. As a creative catalyst and incubator, the Jacobs Center works with the community to revitalize Southeastern San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods. This means transforming nearly 60 acres into sustainable developments that provide residents with greater access to resources and amenities that improve their quality of life. Additionally, the Jacobs Center works with community organizations to increase residents’ economic opportunities, leadership skills, and educational success.
Learn more at www.jacobscenter.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Kitchens For Good
Kitchens for Good breaks the cycles of food waste, poverty, and hunger through innovative programs in workforce training, healthy food production, and social enterprise.
KFG believes it can change communities through social enterprise and that kitchens can be economic engines for good in their communities. With meals that not only feed, but improve the health of vulnerable residents, jobs that employ men and women previously perceived as unemployable, and a purchasing power that will support Southern California’s farmers and communities, KFG effectively closes the broken loops of our region’s food system.
Hunger is understood as a symptom of poverty, and KFG’s goal is to meet the growing need for healthy, affordable food in a way that nourishes the community as well as the body. As a social enterprise, Kitchens for Good provides job training and job opportunities for the unemployed, healthy food for those who need it most, and investment in Southern California’s farmers and communities. KFG is committed to doing its part to address poverty and hunger across San Diego.
For more information, visit www.kitchensforgoodevents.org and follow Kitchens for Good on Facebook and Twitter.