Best Practices | BP & FM | Ins & Outs of Starting Kitchens in Schools
 

Part I

From Len: Welcome!! Today's topic: How do I start a community kitchen / job training for young men and women under age 18?
From Len: Nancy from L'ville sent in some questions: What I need in a letter is some background of the program, briefly how it works, and $$$$$$. I really need to know who gets the food and how do they get it. I will be shipping it out. Do you do that? What happens in the summer? Do you get a grant and pay them to work in the summer?
From ltrad: We talked at the conference. Patty and I were the ones from Cleveland interested in kitchens in schools. I'm afraid we know so little about how to actually start, any info would be helpful.
From Len: We receive food from the food rescue orgs, teach the kids how to prepare it, freeze it,and the rescue orgs then pick it up and distribute to community agencies across the city.
Maryam@dcck just entered this room...
From EPeterson: Hi, Erik here for the American School Food Service Association From Len: Erik, perhaps you could comment on the ASFSA and some of the key points that helped get the pilot projects going?
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From EPeterson: What we are working on with Robert Egger and DCCK is a pilot project in three schools around the country that will train welfare recipients in foodservice skills, nutrition, etc, and then help place them in jobs in schools and other foodservice jobs.
From ltrad: Do you think it is essential that this kitchen be in a private school?
From EPeterson: Unlike Len's project, we are not focusing on teaching kids themselves at this point - but both models offer enormous potential.
From ltrad: I just wonder how we could get cooperation from the public schools if the project didn't represent $$ for them.
From Len: I do not think that private or public matters. What does matter is that the people paying the bills are excited about the idea of using food as a tool to provide job training. I think it really depends upon the school and individualsinvolved.
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From EPeterson: Are projects are in public schools, though I think community kitchens can work in any school if the right conditions exist.
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From Len: Good point. The model we use is to start with a grant, expose and market through community service/catering, and then eventually self-sustain with catering. Good deeds AND Good business.
From robert: One of the key factors in this discussion will be the # of kitchens that will soon outgrow their present shops and need something bigger. The cost of a new kitchen is serious, so this could prove to be a welcome alternative.
From Len: True. How many school facilities sit underutilized after 3pm?
From EPeterson: Schools offer a lot of potential because not only does the physical infrastructure and equipment exist, but most public school foodservice divisions already train their staff or offer training opportunities nearby.
From Len: How many of you out there could use more storage and production space?
From robert: Plus...and this is a big one, every kid in the US of A has got to do Community Service to graduate. This is one of our biggest angles. The USDA Community Food Security Grants (due last Friday) are another great link. If we can get some of that $ flowing in our direction, then we can link, food, training, community service, nutrition ed, seniors all together...then who'd say no?
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From EPeterson: There are potential barriers to working in schools however, including funds and bureacracy. The pilot project we are working on should identify these obstacles and develop creative ways to address them.
From karen@dcck: Len, what's the first step someone takes to start working on a kitchen in a school?
From robert: Well put Eric...that is our task. But once these have been addressed, I urge all of you to stand back.
 

From robert: People have asked...what do you mean "stand back?" I mean that there is so much gold in the schools that there will be hundreds (or at least 10) that will want to get a piece of this action.
From Len: The first step is always people. Find people in the schools who care about the idea that in ten years, we will have 80 million seniors to feed.
From Len: People and money. Caring is good, but it's only an idea if the motivation to make money is not stated right up front. This sounds cynical, but reality is better dealt with right out front!
From robert: Hey gang...I gotta split. THANKS for the chat.
From Len: Cleveland -Itrad - Are you there?
From ltrad: Yes, I'm just reading what people are saying. Our experience with nutrition ed is that the barriers are the same: money and bureaucracy.
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From karen@dcck: Okay, Len, so let's talk strategy here.... are there things we can do as a network to help address the money and bureaucracy issues? Where else can we go to find funding if some of the government grants hold too much red tape? What could we do together to make this happen in more places??
From Len: Karen asked what the first step is if someone wants to start working on a kitchen in a school? What are your opinions, what are your needs?
From karen@dcck: Do you see these kitchens in schools as subdivisions of the already existing kitchens, or new entities entirely?
From Len: Erik, you want to take this one. Good question Karen.
From EPeterson: Both. I think potentially schools will get into community kitchens on their own as an extension of what they already do including feeding lunch and breakfast to children, feeding seniors, providing after school snacks, training their staff, and doing food recovery.
From ltrad: We are looking for a home for our original kitchen. We are interested in schools and have thought schools would be a good place.
From EPeterson: Ultimately, partnerships between schools and existing community kitchens and other community groups will make the most sense because it will avoid duplication of resources.
From Len: I think both as well, depending on the kitchen's goals and staff involved. From karen@dcck: Len and Erik, the idea of "both" is great -- and I love the fact that some kitchens are already doing this. How do we find out who/which schools are already doing this?
From Len: If we are going to motivate schools to participate, I think a needed question is "what do the schools need/want?"
From Len: Karen - Good point. I have been told we are the only ones doing this but I have always found this hard to believe. I can get with two large chef's associations and dig a little deeper- the IACP and the ACF.
From EPeterson: Schools foodservice directors (who are in charge of school kitchens) need to be convinced that this is beneficial to them because it addresses their shortage of qualified kitchen staff, while also helping the community. Once the Director is on board, you have a strong ally in convincing the school board.
From karen@dcck: Len -- sounds good. Robert always says to look for what is already there, and see how to join, not duplicate. Let's do try to find some schools that are providing training, or that would be interested.
From Len: Don't most schools feel they are already overburdened with helping the community? Are the Directors a key part of the ASFSA membership?
From karen@dcck: Erik, what kind of information do we need to be collecting about the pilot programs, in order to present a really strong case to foodservice directors after these first three are wildly successful?
From EPeterson: We are also digging to determine who is doing what out there. At some point a list will be put together of known projects. One of the challenges in that regard, which is true with community kitchens in general, is the diversity of what qualifies as a program. Some schools have "community kitchens" that are not training programs but focus only on food recovery.
 

From Len: My question too...how is the info being collected on the pilots, and will we be able to share the info?
From EPeterson: We (DCCK and ASFSA) will be putting together a manual on how to do what the pilots did and a promotional video that can be used to convince school foodservice directors and school boards.
From Len: Cool.
From Len: Erik, what do you consider to be the anticipated measurable outcomes of the pilots?
From EPeterson: I can send an outline of the manual to DCCK to be posted on the discussion boards at Kitchens INC - if there is information missing that we should be compiling - it can still be added. Actually DCCK already has this but I'll send another copy for the discussion board.
From karen@dcck: That would be great, Erik -- we'll get it up right away, and put it in a whole "Kitchens In Schools" section.
From EPeterson: Outcomes include number of trained participants, cost per participants, job retention 6 months out of the program, amount of food distributed to the community to feed those in need... that's off the top of my head, we'll also be looking at the barriers that came up and how they were addressed.
From Len: Thanks Karen...kitchens in schools sounds a lot more accessible than "school-based community kitchen programs"!
From ltrad: That sounds like a great idea. My experience with school food service is that the administration insists they run in the black. This, even at the cost of serving candy on the line. I can imagine they would balk at someone using their utilities if the costs weren't covered.
From Len: Sounds good Erik.
From EPeterson: Food recovery is not universal - many schools do it but it is very much district by district.
From karen@dcck: I'm confused -- "serving candy on the line?" What do you mean?
From EPeterson: Itrad: That is true. However we were surprised in selecting pilots at how little theyr requested from us to implement programs. Most are planning to implement 12 week training programs for 10 - 12 participants for $10K - $12K.
From Maryam@dcck: Erik, do you have a rough estimate of how many schools around the country have food recovery programs?
From Len: In our case, it is a context for Community service, giving students access to the opportunity to fulfill a graduation requirement, also acquiring skills along the way. From karen@dcck: That's great Len -- what are you doing to publicize what you're doing? Has anyone done a big story on you yet??
From EPeterson: Len - Schools are motivated by different factors in terms of food recovery. Community service is a huge one, another is a sense of civic/community duty. USDA sponsored a pilot project several years ago that awarded some 20 schools with $10K grants to implement food recovery. They put together a great report on it which available on the USDA-FNS web site. I'll have to fund the URL. I would estimate maybe 10% of schools have some kind of recovery program in place.
From Len: Erik, of these schools doing food rescue, does it require extra staff to do so?
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From ltrad: Serving candy on the line means selling kids candy to entice them to spend their money. This as well as the pouring rights contracts are using kids' health for financial gain.
From EPeterson: I think they mostly use existing staff and student volunteers. ASFSA did an online chat on food recovery in November. I can send in the transcript to DCCK.
From Len: Thanks Karen. No big stories yet, mostly local. I would love to see us bring national attention to empowering people for self-sufficiency before they "end-up" in a publicly assisted line.
From Len: Erik, sounds like some great resource info flowing from your direction.
 

From aretha@abelcks: Hi everyone, I missed a good deal of this discussion, so I’ll get it off the discussion board.
From karen@dcck: I just think it's going to be a pretty big thing coming up -- all of these schools have so many requirements for graduation, and I think a story about what kind of value the service requirement is giving would be pretty timely. It would also help raise some eyebrows of schools who are looking for a way to not ship their students off to the local shelter to do work that may or may not be rewarding....
From EPeterson: The Department of Agriculture has strict rules about the selling of food with no nutritional value in the cafeteria during lunch/breakfast. Though there are exceptions, most schools do not sell the foods of minimal nutritional value at these times. Vending machines serving non-nutritional value are not supposed to compete with school foodservice - most vending machine revenue does not go to school foodservice budgets.
From Len: Karen. Absolutely true. I will send you the releases done already. I agree, schools consider trips offsite as risky and expensive. Community service in-house I think is always going to be popular.
From Len: More popular.
From Len: Please come back Aretha!
From ltrad: I know there are rules, but that's not the reality here. I interview for a food service manager's job of a large school system here and was told I would need to serve candy to stay in the black-as well as cutting staff hours to 31/2 hours a day so they didn't get benefits-that from the Superintendent of Schools.
From aretha@abelcks: LOL ...I'm still here, trying to catch up on the reading...so you started a job training program in a school? And does the food go to agencies?
From karen@dcck: I'm actually going to log off right now, but I'm excited about this dialogue -- I really think this will be a great thing for our network, and for a lot of communities. Keep us updated, and keep contributing, so we can all be resources for each other.
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From Len: Yes. 16 different community agencies distributed by Second Harvest.
From Len: Thanks Karen
From aretha@abelcks: Len,this is only through Second Harvest?
From Len: Aretha, that's only one avenue in our area. We also have an independent that handles different types of food and distributes to yet more agencies.
From aretha@abelcks: Independents like community kitchens that are not connected to the food banks?
From Len: Aretha, an independent food bank. One of the things that works well for us is that both orgs are considered to be managing partners, having helped create the program and seated on our advisor board.
From Len: Erik, thanks for all the helpful info and resource offers. I look forward to seeing these up on the DCCK site. Also, what is the best time to phone?
From Len: Aretha, check out our info on the kitchens inc site - Wallace Academy Community Kitchen.
From ltrad: Len, Thanks for the chat. I need to log off. I look forward to the resources, too. Laura
From aretha@abelcks: Len, thank you...I will...I think I'll have a better understanding then. Thanks!!
From EPeterson: This was great info. My contact information is on the Kitchens Inc site, I can be reached any time during business hours, and usually before and after too.
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From Len: Itrad, thanks for telling it like it is. Let's talk more soon.
From Len: Thank you all. Gotta go. Len
From Maryam@dcck: Thanks for hosting this chat, Len. Talk to you soon.

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