Expanding its menu and mission

The Food Pantry Inc. of Port Washington had reason to celebrate last week as it opened its new commercial kitchen.

The kitchen was always part of the pantry’s plans, but it was furnished in large part through a donation from the Port Washington and Belgium Lions.

The clubs applied for a $75,000 grant from Lions International and raised the $25,000 in matching funds needed, Food Pantry President and CEO Steve Hansen said.

That money was used for the appliances, including a reach-in freezer and refrigerator, metal shelving and other kitchen amenities, he said.

The selection was curated by Belgium Lions Club member Dave Shaw, a retired trained cook and chef who helped pick out the appliances and will lead some cooking classes for clients.

“He was a huge help,” Hansen said, adding Shaw made the food that was served when the kitchen was dedicated on Sept. 13.

“He broke in the kitchen,” Hansen said. “He was the first to use it.”

The kitchen has always been envisioned as a teaching kitchen, Hansen added.

“When we went through our long-term plan, we thought, ‘What is our long-term mission?’” he said. “It’s one thing to distribute food, but it’s grown into something more than that. 

“It’s about how can we teach good nutrition, how to cook, how to use what you have.”

Hansen said the Food Pantry surveyed its clients and found they were interested in two types of classes — those for adult and those for families with young children.

Hansen said the classes will not only teach people how to make specific foods, but also allow them to sample the completed dish, then get the ingredients and recipe so they can make the food at home.

He’s recruiting volunteers to teach the cooking classes, and said one person has already approached him about a class on making stew from scratch.   

In addition to the client classes, the Food Pantry is also hosting “Chef’s Giving Table” fundraising classes. The first class was held Monday, Sept. 21, and featured a chef from the Bamboo Bistro teaching how to make spring rolls.

Donors pay a minimum donation of $80 for the class, Hansen said, while the classes for clients are free. 

“A lot of the things we have are experiments,” he said. “We’re learning as we go.”

The new kitchen is only the latest improvement at the Food Pantry since it moved into its current location at 1777 W. Grand Ave. last fall.

Hansen said the 16,000-square-foot pantry has experienced a 20% uptick in clients since the move.

“There’s a lot of things that are happening on the political level to cause that, but we’re also much more visible and accessible,” he said.

The pantry is working to come up with more ways to help its clients and to collaborate with other agencies, Hansen said.

To that end, it is partnering with St. Vincent de Paul to host its Getting Ahead program, which helps empower people who are impacted by poverty.

The program runs for eight weeks and includes 16 classes aimed at helping people get out of their current situation.

“It’s all about dignity and respect and lifting people up,” Hansen said.