The Bay Area Women’s Center strives to make its emergency shelter feel as much like a home as possible. But after 15 years of constant use from families, the residential style kitchen was no longer the safest and most efficient option.
BACF granted $10,000 from the Community Initiative Fund and $15,000 from the Herzog Family Donor Advised Fund toward a $100,000 kitchen renovation project.
As of this month, the kitchen is ready for residents to use with:
- Washable walls and ceilings
- Durable and sanitary stainless steel counter tops and shelving
- Commercial dishwasher to reduce time and energy use for large volumes
- Commercial range with double oven and hood for top-notch safety
- Walk-in refrigerator and freezer
“We didn’t have enough room for cold food storage before,” said Jeremy Rick, executive director. “Sometimes, we had to turn down food donations or a good deal at the food bank for lack of storage space.”
Now, that’s not an issue, and there is plenty of space to stock fresh and healthy food for residents. Residents also have a safe space where they can cook their own food and bring a little normalcy to a tough time.
