A new commercial kitchen at the Root Cellar was partially funded through a donation by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
lthomson@medicinehatnews.com
Thanks in part to a donation made by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Root Cellar Food and Wellness Hub has funded the construction of its new commercial kitchen.
Melissa Mullis, marketing and events manager for the Root Cellar, spoke to the News.
“The commercial kitchen brings the opportunity to collaborate with our community on a higher level and bring dignity to our space.”
Hannah Thomas, who volunteers as communications director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Medicine Hat and sits on the Just Serve council, spoke about the project. She said the church’s humanitarian branch, Latter-day Saint Charities, is always looking for ways to increase quality of life.
“They really want to help locally,” she said. “I was specifically told to find local projects; they want us to put money into our communities.”
The Just Serve council, a group of volunteers dedicated to community service and collaboration, worked with Root Cellar representatives to determine the needs of the food bank, then submitted an application for aid through Latter-day Saint Charities.
“We are really excited that we were able to secure funding for this project. As a council, we were looking for a way to serve our community in a meaningful way and let the community know that we are here to help,” said Thomas. “The Root Cellar serves the community in so many ways, and we are so pleased to be able to support them in their efforts to improve peoples’ lives.”
The new kitchen makes it possible to run the Brown Bag Lunch Program and the Food First Program.
“The Food First program is a 12-week community kitchen program that teaches families the skills needed to prepare healthy, nutritious meals and snacks,” said Mullis. “It also addresses poverty with innovation and long-term solutions.”
Margo Dick, executive director of the Root Cellar, told Thomas that with the new kitchen space, more people around Medicine Hat will be able to benefit from the program. In its previous location, programs were limited due to space. Being able to have more participants in the Food First program means fewer people depending on the Root Cellar. Dick explained that upwards of 90% of graduates from the program no longer need help from the food bank.
Mullis also said the kitchen provides them with the ability to become a no-waste facility, using tomatoes as an example of a large donation that could be made.
“If we can’t find enough community partners to take them before they’re going, we can go into that community kitchen and process them and turn them into sauce that we can give to our families,” said Mullis. “It gives us the opportunity to be diverse in many areas, we can teach … but we can also create longevity in the food that we have and make sure we aren’t wasting it.
“We’re really grateful that the Latter-day Saints reached out to us and took such an interest in what we do.”
Thomas also has plans to begin an Inter-Faith Service Group to work together on various projects within the city. You can call her at 780-655-0612 for more information.
