Completion of our kitchen is complete and we will be able to make full use of it for our September 28, 2013 Community Dinner. We are looking forward to using “real dishes” and expanding our cooking equipment beyond roasters and outdoor grills. Our kitchen has been under renovation throughout the summer of 2013. Our church has been without a working kitchen since moving into Grace Center in July of 2010. In our building’s former life as Holland elementary school, the kitchen lacked cooking equipment. (The school district operated a centralized kitchen that did all of the cooking for the schools. Food was sent out in plastic trays or bags to be kept chilled or warm.) When our church moved into the building the kitchen consisted of two small sinks, warming racks and cupboards. Refinancing of the original loan that provided for the purchase and renovation of Grace Center made upgrades to the kitchen (and heating/cooling improvements) possible. The renovation has also included installation of a new walk-in refrigerator. The Little Kitchen Food Shelf was awarded a $7,000 grant for the purchase. The walk-in fridge will enable proper and adequate storage of the abundant produce donated by neighbors, the Garden Gleaning Project, and grown on-site in the Grace Center raised bed gardens. Congratulations to Food Shelf Manager Jennifer Schultz who worked hard on the grant application.