Food Recycling Focuses on Healthier Meals

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06.23.2009 --

(above) Greg Turner, Murry's Regional Operation Manager, fills the DCCK truck to the brim with lean chicken

DC Central Kitchen is forming partnerships to improve the nutritional content of our meals. Over the past year, we've reached out to local farms and food distributors for fresher produce and leaner proteins.

One such partnership includes Murry's Family of Fine Foods, who recently made a 12,500 pound donation of lean frozen chicken to DC Central Kitchen.

"We love to help DC Central Kitchen. It's really the perfect way to strengthen the community we do business in," said Greg Turner, Murry's Regional Operations Manager.

Another example is the Gaylord Hotel in Price George's County, which provides the Kitchen with nutritious prepared meats, including chicken, turkey, beef and pork. The Kitchen receives 60-70 pans of prepared meat at least twice a week from the Gaylord Hotel, all of which Kitchen Director Chef Jerald regards as the "highest quality."

"We've made a really strong commitment to provide meals with fresh, nutritious, local ingredients," said DC Central Kitchen CEO, Mike Curtin Jr. "We don’t want to perpetuate health problems in our community. We've found that with strategic partnerships, we can provide nutritious meals while at the same time supporting a strong local food system."

In addition to improving the nutritional quality of meals, donations from both Murry's and the Gaylord Hotel save money that can be used for programs such as First Helping and the Culinary Job Training program.

Special thanks to Murry's and the Gaylord Hotel for their generous donations of lean, nutritious protein. We are thrilled to have both Murry's Family of Fine Foods and the Gaylord Hotel as new and powerful partners in our mission to combat hunger and create opportunity!