Welcome to Positive Community Kitchen. This non-profit sources local produce and cooks healing, organic meals for community members with life-threatening illnesses. The meals are plant-based, full of nutritious ingredients, and gluten-free. In addition, local teens spearhead volunteer efforts by cooking, delivering food, and fundraising.
A Ceres Community Project Affiliate
Positive Community Kitchen is an affiliate of the Ceres Community Project based in Sebastopol, California. Like PCK, the Ceres Project focuses on youth and the healing power of food to serve the community. Several years ago, a few women from Eugene traveled to the Ceres Project training facility and learned how to establish a similar program here. To learn more about PCK’s roots, visit the Ceres Project Affiliates page.
Sourcing Food Locally and Cooking Food Together
Each week, CPK prepares wholesome meals with organic, locally sourced ingredients. These meals consist of two entrees, two soups, a hardy salad, and a dessert. Food for Lane County and Transition Garden Project regularly donate food or provide produce at a low cost.
Preparing Food for Delivery
Volunteers rent out the Stellaria Building’s Common Kitchen two days a week to prepare meals. At first, volunteers cooked for 15 people a week. Now, they are cooking for 100 people each week!
Volunteering for PCK
To operate smoothly, PCK has a host of volunteers. Besides kitchen volunteers, there are client liaisons and delivery angels. Client liaisons visit clients in their homes and connect with them weekly. Also, volunteers, known as Delivery Angels, drop off food at clients’ homes each week.
Involving Teens in the Community
CPK teaches teens about nutrition, cooking, eating well, and gives them a way to serve the community. Many teens prepare food in the kitchen, but they also serve on the board and assemble a fundraising project each year.
Support PCK through Cookbooks, Classes, Dinners and More
The team at Positive Community Kitchen keeps expenses low, but fundraising is still critical for their success. A volunteer group called Friends of PCK creates fundraising activities. PCK also organizes an annual fundraising dinner called Under the Harvest Moon. There are many other avenues to participate and connect with PCK. These include Meal4Meal, purchasing their cookbook, or attending their cooking classes.
Buy a Meal, Give a Meal with Meal4Meal
One way to support PCK is by signing up for their Meal4Meal program. Buy a meal for a week for yourself, and you can make this available for someone with health issues.
Organic Meals to Cook Alongside PCK
Learn how to cook nutritious, organic meals with PCK by purchasing one of their cookbooks, or attending their cooking classes. Order The Power of Positive Nutrition Cookbook from their website to access their recipes. Positive Community Kitchen also offers free weekly cooking classes in partnership with Oregon Cancer Foundation and Whole Foods.
Serving Food with Compassion and Research
Since its creation seven years ago, PCK has been serving healing foods with love and research. People who receive their meals express the helpful impact the food has on their lives. If you’d like to support Positive Community Kitchen, you can make a donation or sign up to volunteer.
Learn more about the people creating positive change by reading our other blogs.