Blog - The Kitchen

13 Mar 2023

The Kitchen Celebrates 40 Years Serving the Community

The Kitchen will celebrate its 40th Birthday on Monday, March 27, 10am-noon with an open house and anniversary ribbon cutting at The O’Reilly Family Campus. Located at 730 N Glenstone Ave, the O’Reilly Family Campus houses The Kitchen’s Emergency Shelter and the Sam F. and June S. Hamra Family Support Services building. On March 27, 1983, Sister Lorraine Biebel took $50 and began serving meals to the homeless. That first meal was held in the St. Agnes School cafeteria and had 39 diners. In less than two months, Sister Lorraine and other volunteers were feeding over 200 people. Sister Lorraine’s…

28 Feb 2023

Shop At Harter House March 1-7 To Help The Homeless

Each year, Harter House stores host the Annual Jerry Bettlach/Jim Trimble Memorial to raise money for The Kitchen. These funds provide vital services to people who are homeless. Shop at Harter House stores March 1-7, and 5% of your purchase will go to The Kitchen. Harter House stores have raised over $1.3 million for The Kitchen through this event. We hope this will be a record-breaking year as Harter House celebrates 50 years in business! The Bettlach family started the Jerry Bettlach/Jim Trimble Memorial to honor two men who were dedicated to giving back to our community. “Jerry was a…

10 Jan 2023

Affordable Housing Tax Credits Available

55% Tax Credits are available through the Affordable Housing Assistance Program (AHAP) of the Missouri Housing Development Commission. The AHAP tax credit is a one-time credit donors may use towards their Missouri tax liability for up to 55% of the value of an eligible donation. How do I qualify? Individuals who report farm income; income from royalties or rental property; income from a Sole Proprietorship, S-Corporation, Partnership, or Limited Liability Company may qualify. Foundations and businesses may also qualify. Always discuss tax benefits with your tax advisor. Contact Chris Ijames, Director of Development at (417) 225-7416 or cijames@thekitcheninc.org to claim tax credits.

09 Jan 2023

The Kitchen Announces 2023 Board of Trustees Executive Officers

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Jan. 9, 2023)– The Kitchen announces 2023 Board of Trustees executive officers and new board members. The 2023 officers are: Ellen Hammock, Vice president of provider services at CoxHealth, as board president Rob Fridge, executive vice president of administration and chief financial officer at Drury University, as board vice president Susan Gladden, director of revenue integrity at Citizens Memorial Hospital, as board secretary Kim Tilley, vice president of operations for hospital services at Mercy, as board treasurer. New board members include Jen Albers, senior managing consultant at FORVIS; Eileen Hamra, co-founder of Fit Together, LLC; Dr. Katie Hoegeman,…

11 Nov 2022

Peter’s Story: 90-Year-Old Homeless Veteran Finds Hope at The Kitchen

This Veterans Day, we are sharing the story of a Veteran helped by our Home At Last program. Peter is a 90-year-old Korean War Veteran. He became homeless earlier this year when he was forced to move from the New Mexico apartment he’d lived in for 17 years. Peter Isn't What You'd Picture Peter isn't what you’d picture a homeless person to be. He served in the Navy from 1951 until the end of the Korean War in 1953. After the war, he got a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University where he played tennis. After graduation, he enlisted again, this…

31 Oct 2022

The Kitchen Achieves National Reaccreditation

The Kitchen is proud to announce we have achieved national reaccreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). COA is an independent, nonprofit organization that partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting appropriate best practice standards. COA accreditation ensures that we are providing the very best possible services to our participants and is a mechanism that enables The Kitchen to continually improve and evaluate the way it delivers services. Achieving COA accreditation means The Kitchen is among the best in the field. We are proud to be a part of…