Central Kitchen Services
WELCOME
Opened decades ago, our facility operates a Central Kitchen that serves hundreds of people each week.
Food served fresh, made with care in our Central Kitchen...
We understand that programs made to assist disadvantaged people with meeting their needs depend on accessibility. That's why we operate several Kitchen Services throughout the year... helping even unhoused or impoverished individuals without a full kitchen get the essential nutrition only fresh foods can provide.
Highlights
Food comes first.
Perhaps the most basic physiological need recognized by Maslow's Hierarchy, dependable access to quality nutrition is the first essential step for changing impoverished lives. Our bottom-up comprehensive approach releases folks from the weight of a crushing system, inspiring meaningful growth to last generations.
FEMA Summer Feed Service Program
Beginning on June 2nd, 2025.
Ending on August 25th, 2025.
Located at multiple central locations near you. TBA soon.
Times will vary by location. Children must be 18 years or younger, or must be students with disabilities. Participants must be enrolled in a school district where less more than 50% of the student population is below the federal poverty line.
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), administers the Summer Feed Service Program (SFSP) at the federal level. SFSP was first created as part of a larger pilot program in 1968. It became a separate program in 1975. State education agencies administer the program in the state of Ohio. In some areas, the state health or social service department or an FNS regional office may be designated. The Community Resource Center of East Liverpool (CRC) is an approved sponsor of the program as a private nonprofit organization.
We provide free meals to groups of children who are 18 years old or younger at a sites local to them, such as a school or a community center. We then receive payments from the USDA, through their state agencies, for the meals we serve. At most sites, children receive either one or two reimbursable meals each day. Meals are also available for individuals who are disabled and participate in school programs for the disabled. The CRC operates multiple types of approved sites for SFSP between the beginning of June and the end of August including open, enrolled and rural non-congregate sites:
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Open sites operate in low-income areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, making them eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. Meals are served free to any child at the open site.
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Enrolled sites provide free meals to children enrolled in an activity program at the site where at least half of them are eligible for free and reduced-price meals.
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Rural non-congregate sites operate in low-income, rural areas. Non-congregate meals can be provided through meal pick-up, which includes grab-and go, curbside service, or take-home backpacks.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and select Holidays, our Central Kitchen volunteers prepare fresh meals for our clients to take on their way out of our building. More recently, these meals are being delivered at common community sites local to majority low-income individuals and families.
What started at the beginning of 2025 as an effort to keep our unhoused community nourished during the harsh Appalachian winter, has blossomed into a year-round service at our center. Providing fresh meals is not a new task for us by any means, having been established with the state of Ohio's Summer Feed Service Program for decades. We are known for providing food to community events, fundraisers, and on Holidays known for traditions based on feast-sized meals. For Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2024, we served over 500 meals total.
Our volunteers strive to acknowledge and reference USDA and Department of Education recommendations to a degree of superior nutritional excellence when planning meals each week. We apply rigorous investigative reports to maintain kitchen safety in all critical areas of our kitchen operations. Our menu varies with conditions like weather, seasonal harvest options, and to promote nutritional diversity.
In May of 2025, the Community Resource Center began hosting Community Luncheons at noon on every Wednesday. In may we focused on Mental Health Awareness, and in June we will shift our gears towards Well-being and LGBTQ+ education in honor of Queer Pride month. Our luncheons provide a safe and largely confidential space for our patrons and clients to discuss challenging topics while gathering insight and advice from knowledgeable professionals.
Each luncheon features food prepared in our Central Kitchen, such as a pasta and salad bar, slider sandwiches, a baked potato bar, and other options that come or go based on menu availability.
