HUDSON – The Columbia County Recovery Kitchen held a volunteer appreciation dinner on Tuesday evening November 15. It was a big event as there are many volunteers for this organization that provides fresh cooked locally sourced meals at no cost for county residents in need.
The dinner was held in the community room of Christ Church Episcopal, the kitchen of which serves as the facility where the meals are prepared by chefs Jamie Parry, whose team cooks in the first part of each week, and Tommy Carlucci, who is the chef for the second part of the week.
Known as CCRK, the project was started by Pam Kline and Carole Clark in 2020, just as the world was sinking into the first wave of the Covid pandemic. They saw the need to make high quality nutritional meals available for people who experience food insecurity. Referrals currently are made by county social service organizations, public school social workers and the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement.
Statistics recounted at the evening’s celebration include over 1000 meals each week delivered to 26 towns in the county by over 100 volunteers, who also provide services like graphic design, tech support, fundraising, organizing and of course the cooking by chefs and kitchen staff. There is a list of 14 local farms that provide fresh produce, dairy, fruit and meat.
Major funding has been provided by grants from the Berkshire Taconic Community Fund and the Hudson River Bank and Trust Foundation.
Anyone interested in contributing or volunteering can contact CCRK: https://columbiacountyrecoverykitchen.org
