About Us
The Community Kitchen is located on Mechanic Street, in Keene, New Hampshire.
We serve the Monadnock Region.
At The Community Kitchen, we understand the challenges many families face as rising costs make it harder to put food on the table, and we are here to help bridge that gap. Our mission is rooted in the belief that no one should have to choose between basic necessities and nourishment. With compassion at our core, we strive to create a welcoming environment where individuals and families can access nutritious meals and essential resources. Whether you’re visiting us for the first time or relying on our services more than ever before, we are committed to providing support, understanding, and a sense of community in the Monadnock Region.
What we do is simple, but how we do it is complicated.
In 2024, we distributed enough food for over 427,824 meals. To accomplish this, we relied on the support of:
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- Thousands of individual, corporate, and foundation monetary donors
- Hundreds of dedicated volunteers
- 15 major food donors
- 14 passionate staff
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Values
DIGNITY– Everyone is treated with respect, empathy, non-judgment and confidentiality. We value diversity, equity and inclusion.
INTEGRITY– We earn trust with reliability, consistency, transparency, high standards and quality work.
TEAMWORK– With positivity, helpfulness, interdependence and solidarity, we work together within our organization and beyond, to achieve our mission.
SUSTAINABILITY– We achieve our sustainable business and lasting impact on community food security with adaptability, resourcefulness, and innovation.
Our History
The Community Kitchen started as an idea that a group of like-minded people had in 1982. The idea was to provide a meal to those who needed it. Naming the idea was the first problem—”soup kitchen” wasn’t what they wanted so The Keene Community Kitchen was born. In 1983 they started serving food in three local churches, but it soon became clear that the whole need was not being served and so take-home boxes were added to the equation. It also became clear that they were not just serving Keene residents, so the name was changed to The Community Kitchen, Inc.
The Community Kitchen continues to thrive as an organization largely because of the wonderful, dedicated volunteers who give their time, perhaps the most valuable donation of all. The support of the local community helped and continues to help, guide TCK on its way—local restaurants and businesses donate food and the Monadnock United Way and cities and towns within Cheshire County give financial support along with the County itself.
After operating out of the churches for many years, TCK finally had to admit that the inconvenience of moving every pot and pan around to each church was a lot of work. The solution…a permanent home of their own. In 1994 the building on Mechanic Street was purchased and renovations began. The Pantry and Hot Meals Program began operating fully in their new home in 1998.
The need continues: In 2024, 32,500 hot meals were served. We also distributed 40,946 boxes through the Pantry Program for a total of 395,324 meals throughout the year.
We operate two programs – the Pantry Program distributes food weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Clients are verified annually by their income and residence. The Hot Meals Program serves a free meal five evening a week.
Our Gleaning Project was started in 2013 and has enabled us to partner with other agencies and businesses within Cheshire County. In these 12 years, this project has brought well over a hundred thousand pounds of farm and garden fresh produce into our programs.
We strive to guide our guests and clients to make better food choices and partner with other agencies offering resources. As the world changes around us we have to adapt to current needs and demands and can do so only with the continued support of the community around us.
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