Community Kitchen Serves Community Needs
The “Come Cook with Us” program is an initiative of the Centretown Churches Social Action Committee. As a member of this program, FBC opens its kitchen on Wednesdays to those who are limited in their access to kitchen facilities where they can cook properly for themselves or their families.
Martha Musgrove, a member of First Baptist, told the Centretown Buzz in 2023 that the kitchen allows people to cook favourite meals they might not otherwise get, as well as nutritious meals to follow specific medical diets. “And if you’re a refugee and you’re traumatized, how nice to be able to do a little bit of home cooking to kind of make things familiar again.”
Access is limited to two cooks per session. The church provides some staples, such as basic seasonings, lentils, rice and oil. Clients are responsible for bringing other ingredients and containers to take their food home, as well as for cleaning up.
“This is just one small piece of the jigsaw puzzle dealing with food insecurity in Centretown,” Martha said. “It’s an intractable problem, caused by low incomes and expensive housing.
“We do have two excellent food centres that give people groceries when they need it, and we have several organizations that provide really good hot meals but it’s a patchwork, and so this is just one more piece to that puzzle.”
If you would like to volunteer to assist guest cooks in our kitchen – or if you know someone who could make good use of our kitchen to cook nutritious food for themselves or their families – contact our Church Office.