Adventure Central
Adventure Central Kitchen Renovation
Thank you for helping us feed hungry youth year-round!
Our free after-school programming runs from 3 to 6:30 PM and serves 95 youth Monday-Thursday. During the summer months, 140 youth participate in a free 7-week summer camp. Meals and snacks are served on a daily basis. After-school participants receive an evening meal and camp participants receive lunch and an afternoon snack.
At Adventure Central, we utilize our meal program to not only meet the children’s basic needs but also incorporate an embedded curriculum that includes healthier eating, nutrition education and community service.
We plan and prepare our own menu and meals and have intentionally included more fresh fruits and vegetables and utilize produce grown by the youth and volunteers in our raised garden beds to supplement meals.
Service is a key component of the food program and includes youth, teen and parent volunteers supporting the meal program daily to include preparation, service and clean up. Under the guidance of the cook, at least a dozen volunteers do their part to provide a safe, clean, healthy meal process.
During the summer, teens are placed in the kitchen as part of the work-based learning program where they take an expanded role in the food program and learn skills that prepare them for the workplace.
Displays, lessons and activities are used throughout the year to help youth better understand ways to improve their healthy lifestyles.
OUR NEED
We serve approximately 600 meals a week. The existing kitchen at Adventure Central was designed for food demonstration and snack preparation with minimal storage space. An overall lack of space lends to a less efficient food prep area and prohibits space for a commercial dishwashing unit. Warming racks and the milk cooler are currently located in the dining room and locker area instead of the kitchen and disposable plates are being used instead of reusable dinnerware. Appliances are 18+ years old and nearing their anticipated replacement date.
The Kitchen Renovation Project will provide the following:
- Ability to prepare a more diverse menu including more fresh foods
- Improved opportunities for positive youth/adult relationships in planning, preparing, serving and clean-up
- Increased dining room seating
- Milk cooler relocated inside kitchen, opening space for more lockers
- Warming trays relocated from dining room to inside kitchen
- Ability to serve meals in a more efficient manner
- Ability to store larger quantities of food to reduce product delivery
- Increased dry storage area
- Ability to utilize reusable service items to reduce waste and teach and demonstrate sustainability practices
- Larger prep sink and counter for meals, job training and educational activities and demonstrations
- Improved serving counter
- Energy efficient kitchen appliances including a commercial dishwasher
- Laundry Room
With our fundraising goal met, construction on the new kitchen will begin in the summer of 2020. Thank you for your support!
Click to enlarge renderings:
