Kitchens With Mission™

Kitchens With Mission™

Kitchens With Mission is a nonprofit organization working to build and sustain communities that provide food-service based training and employment for individuals facing barriers to employment.

 

KWM accomplishes its mission through the diffusion, support and maintenance of a self-sustaining food-service based training and employment model rooted in social enterprise. KWM works in concert with approved local partners, saving them time and resources by providing the guidance, information, systems, materials and support required to establish and sustain effective programs and social enterprise, including; contract meal production, catering, café and restaurant ventures.

 

Following successful program and operational development, Kitchens With Mission provides ongoing oversight, benefits and accreditation through the KWM Network. This enabled network focuses on long-term success, maintaining standards and delivering shared resources and benefits including representation in collective negotiations for sponsorship, services, equipment and products.

 

Working In Concert

Kitchens With Mission works in concert with partner organizations that are interested in either launching new food-service-based training and employment programs or restructuring existing programs. Working through defined stages of development, KWM provides approved partners with a range of technical and integration assistance, including customized program and organizational materials. Successful outcomes include increased levels of self-sufficiency for both the organization and the individuals it serves.

 

Supported by a mix of fee-for-service revenues and donated funds, Kitchens With Mission applies a wealth of information, experience and practical lessons learned. KWM uses this knowledge base to adapt and deliver core model elements to its partners. In addition to advocating and providing for the development and growth of its Partner Programs, KWM delivers the benefits of a national network that represents all Partner Programs, leverages their collective strengths and delivers shared information, services and sponsors.

 

The KWM Network’s 10 year goal is to guide and facilitate the successful development and maintenance of 50 approved KWM Partner Programs by 2015. The annual outcomes of this network of programs will include over $8 million in social enterprise revenues, the production of over 5 million meals, and training and employment for more than 2750 disadvantaged men, women and youth.

 

 

Primary Tenets of a Kitchen With Mission

 

Empowerment through Training and Employment: Empower the lives of individuals facing barriers to employment through comprehensive foodservice training, soft skills training, supportive services and employment, targeted job placement and job retention efforts.

 

Social Enterprise: Self-generate revenues through food-service-based social enterprises that provide real-life training opportunities, financial support of the program and a touch point with the community.

 

Cost-effective, Nutritious Meals: Provide benefits to the community through the economic efficiencies of a centralized kitchen that prepares nutritious meals for disadvantaged populations and others on a contract basis, and to the public on a retail basis.

 

What’s New

Kitchens With Mission is located in FareStart’s new facility located on the corner of 7th and Virginia in downtown Seattle. You can visit KWM and see the KWM Model in action at FareStart, the perfect location for KWM to provide 1-3 day Workshops for KWM Partner Programs.

 

Full access to FareStart facilities has allowed Kitchens With Mission to develop individual, integrated workshops that allow KWM Partner Programs to see FareStart's success firsthand and experience the model in action.  During these workshops, Partner Program staff are integrated into FareStart operations and training, both in the classroom and the kitchen.  Once model context and knowledge are more fully established, strategic planning and model integration discussions take place more effectively. Numerous partner programs from around the country have benefited from this “institute” approach, which is an important step towards model development and implementation.