HARVEST KITCHEN LAUNCHING NEW KITCHEN & RETAIL SPACE??
Pawtucket, RI, June 2016 ?????Harvest Kitchen will be opening a new commercial kitchen and retail space in downtown Pawtucket in 2016. This??exciting project is in partnership with Pawtucket Central Falls Development, and will be located on the first floor??of 2 Bayley St. The building is a mixed-use development that offers safe and affordable housing. And this new retail??market project will respond to the critical need in Pawtucket and Central Falls to increase access to fresh fruits??and vegetables for populations affected by health disparities.??
The Harvest Kitchen project is Farm Fresh Rhode Island???s food-industry training program for youth ages 16???20??from the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Juvenile Corrections Services. Trainees work to??create a line of high-quality preserved foods using ingredients sourced from local farms and sell those goods at??farmers markets???while building a stable foundation to maintain employment beyond their time in the program.??The Harvest Kitchen will begin production in the new Bayley Street kitchen this summer, with the retail space to open??in Fall of 2016.
To make the operation of Harvest Kitchen in the new space a reality, Farm Fresh RI is asking for support in the??months of June and July???raising funds to set up the new location for success. For more information and to make a??tax-deductible donation, please visit:
??http://www.crowdrise.com/Harvest-Kitchen????
Currently Harvest Kitchen operates at the RI Training School juvenile detention facility as well as a commercial??kitchen leased in Pawtucket.
Through the combined efforts of these two locations, the program reaches over 40??youth per year in intense, hands-on training programs, with internship and job placement assistance.
The vision for the new space includes a permanent production kitchen for Harvest Kitchen???s job training program??and a vibrant retail space that will function as year-round market for fresh, prepared and preserved local and??regional foods. The goals of the new space are to provide job training and skills development for youth from??Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls, increase access to fresh, local foods in downtown Pawtucket??and incentivize SNAP sales, and deliver outcomes-driven nutrition education programming year-round.
In this new space:??Harvest Kitchen will continue to expand its production and increase training opportunities for??youth from DCYF???s Juvenile Corrections Services and those aging out of the foster care system. Cooking prepared??meals for the retail space will expand the culinary and retail skills that students and apprentices learn at Harvest??Kitchen.
The new Bayley St space will also serve as a hub for nutrition education classes and special events??focused on the critical link between farmers and eaters. By participating in interactive food-based nutrition??lessons, participants and community members build healthy habits together, empowered with the skills and tools??to make healthy choices Farm Fresh Rhode Island sees opportunities to use the space in a flexible way that activates the neighborhood and??creates dialogue around the ideas of food and community. And by providing a 40% bonus on SNAP funding, also??known as the Bonus Bucks Program, Farm Fresh RI helps low-income families increase their purchasing power for??fresh, local foods.
About Harvest Kitchen Since 2010
Harvest Kitchen has graduated 11 training groups of youth: girls and boys, ages 16-20, who??reside in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls. The Harvest Kitchen posts remarkable results for??youth, with a program completion rate of 75%, internship placement rate of 66%, job placement rate of??48%, and educational progress rate of 77% (measured by high school or GED degrees).
The Harvest??Kitchen has a recidivism rate of 7% for program graduates three years post-graduation, which is??significantly lower than the statewide benchmark of 20%. About Farm Fresh Rhode Island Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2004.
Farm Fresh RI is a small??organization with a big mission???growing a local food system that values the environment, health and??quality of life of area farmers and eaters. Part incubator, part activator, Farm Fresh RI has a wide array??of access, education, and distribution programs aimed at building healthier communities, increasing??access to fresh food, strengthening community-based businesses, and improving the impact of food??production and distribution on the environment. For more information, please visit