Wellness Kitchen gets grant for going green
Jennifer Hamman with the Wellness Kitchen’s new compost bin.
Wellness Kitchen foods in new glass containers.
The Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District recently awarded a grant for $2,540 to The Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center to further their commitment to be stewards of the land by protecting and preserving our soil, water and natural resources.
In keeping with the organic, clean eating philosophy of The Wellness Kitchen, the collaboration between the organizations will now benefit the patrons that receive the Healing Foods through the Pay It Forward program, says Nancy Walker, founder and executive director of The Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center. These individuals receive the food free of charge while in the most acute stage of their illness, treatment or recovery.
“As our Healing Foods program grows, the methods used by The Wellness Kitchen in the preparation and distribution of these foods have been greatly improved with this funding,” Walker says.
Before receiving the grant, the foods were held in disposable, containers and brown paper bags that could be re-cycled but often caused leakage. With this new funding, glass containers and thermal cloth bags are now used for storage and distribution. The grant also provides the funds to purchase a compost tumbler to process the waste from the weekly cooking. The rich compost is being used on the local gardens belonging to our volunteers; thereby producing organic herbs and vegetables for use at the Kitchen.
“The collaboration between the Upper Salinas–Las Tablas Resource Conservation District and The Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center is making a huge impact on our patrons and the local environment by sharing the principles of “going green” with well-planned and implemented conservation methods,” Walker says.
The Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center is located at 1255 Las Tablas Road, Templeton, Ca. (805) 434-1800.
Thank you Upper Salinas Las Tablas Resource Conservation District for this grant opportunity!
Thank you Upper Salinas Las Tablas Resource Conservation District for this grant opportunity!