Captial Project Facts
Background:
During its history, the Cathedral Kitchen has moved seven times, always
operating in loaned space. With each move, meal preparation
became more and more difficult, yet the number of dinner guests
continued to grow. The current location of the Kitchen was never meant
to be permanent. The space is being loaned to us and it is woefully
inadequate for the program. While the room seats 225, most
nights
tables have to be quickly cleaned and reset to accommodate all who come
for dinner.
Food preparation facilities provide another challenge—an
electric
range and one double convection oven are the extent of the cooking
equipment to serve an average of 340 meals per night. Limited
space in the meager 12 by 13 foot kitchen requires that the freezer and
refrigerators be located in the main dining area. There is no
walk-in freezer or refrigerator and very limited storage space for dry
goods. Canned and paper products are stored in the old convent
building, which has no light or heat. Cathedral Kitchen
administrative offices are wedged into the old girls high school locker
room, with filing cabinets shoe-horned into old shower
stalls.
There is no room for expansion, either to meet the increasing need for
meals, or to help our guests in other ways. And
there is so
much more that could be done.
The new facility at 1514 Federal Street will be the first building
project for the Cathedral Kitchen since it began serving
Camden’s
hungry in 1976. The building is just eight blocks from the current
location and on the bus route for easy access to our current guests.
It will be a place where the poor and marginalized can come not just
for a meal, but perhaps to visit a doctor, have a tooth fixed, or
receive referrals to other programs from which they might
benefit. They might even come to the Kitchen to learn a job
skill—how to work in a kitchen—which could open the
door to
self sufficiency.
Plans:
The building floor plan provides for approximately 14,872 square feet
of space to house:
- meal seating for 288 guests;
- weekend hours (not currently available at the current
site) and the ability to serve well over 100,000 meals per year;
- a commercial grade kitchen and extensive food storage
areas;
- a day services area with bathroom, laundry and shower
facilities for our homeless clients;
- additional space for health care services;
- job/life skills training (including food
service/culinary arts);
- social service case management;
- office space for staff and other agencies who serve
the poor; and
- a centralized referral service for the homeless of
Camden.
We are in the planning stages with a number of other organizations that
will partner with us in the facility, including:
- Camden County College and the Technical Institute of
Camden
County to develop a combined food service/hospitality and work skills
training program;
- Our Lady of Lourdes - Project HOPE to staff the
medical facility;
- Parkside Recovery to do outreach and on-site
counseling for clients with addiction problems;
- AIDS Coalition of Southern NJ to do outreach for
clients at risk of contracting AIDS;
- Camden Eye Center to provide vision care; and
- The New Jersey Dental Association to staff the dental
clinic.
| Over three-quarters of the $3.9 million capital
budget has been raised
and construction financing has been committed by PNC Bank. |
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Donors include: Camden City and County grant programs, Campbell Soup
Foundation, Clemens Construction Company, Danellie Foundation, Diocese
of Camden, Delaware River Port Authority, Domenica Foundation, Gannett
Foundation, Gestalt, Peter Haller Family Foundation, Holman Foundation,
Hummingbird Foundation, JT & ED Fund, Lockeed Martin, Max
&
Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Niles Foundation, NJ Economic Development
Authority, PNC Bank, PSE&G, The Bunbury Company,
Trentecoste
Foundation, William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation, WW Smith
Charitable Trust, as well as hundreds of gifts from private individuals.
How You
Can Help
This project is an ambitious one for the Cathedral Kitchen, but one in
which we believe we will be successful, because of the critical need
for the services we will offer. Reaching out to its many
supporters all over the region, the Cathedral Kitchen hopes to build on
the strength that has sustained it through its 30 year history to fund
its dream of creating a permanent home for the Kitchen. If you want to
become part of this exciting development in the Cathedral Kitchen
mission, contact Karen Talarico at 856-964-6771 or karentalarico@verizon.net.
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Cathedral Kitchen