Jewish Family Services launches community kitchen in Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Jewish Family Services is marking its 30th year in the Ann Arbor community with the opening of its community kitchen.
The kitchen is an expansion of its food pantry, which saw a spike in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We immediately outgrew our capacity and needed a much bigger space. We became a Meals on Wheels provider and really started to see the need in the community for not just the standard pantry fare, but to go a step further," said Nourish Nutrition Services director Chrissy Taylor.
"Having a commercial kitchen just opens up doors to be able to make culturally sensitive meals, to be able to package up bulk items, to get meals to seniors, as a potential revenue source that can go back and fund all the services that we do."
Many of JFS' clients are refugees from around the world, from Afghanistan, Ukraine and South American and African countries.
The organization makes sure to keep items that are familiar to its clients well-stocked.
"We provide opportunity for dignity when it comes to an essential need – finding food for yourself and for your family," said chief development officer Melissa Goodson. "And for us, especially with our refugee clients, that's something we don't want them to have to think about.
"We want to make sure that when they arrive here, they're clothed and have a place to live and that they've got food that they don't have to worry about. And food that makes sense to them and food that they recognize. We want this to feel like home as soon as we possibly can."
The majority of food JFS receives comes from Food Gatherers, Washtenaw County's largest food bank and food rescue program.
Not only is the organization catering to cultural dietary restrictions like halal and kosher diets. Meals are also customized to serve medical needs.
Last year, JFS served approximately 7,500 households.
Nadya Almiqdad came to the United States nearly seven years ago as a refugee from Syria with her husband and their four children.
JFS helped them learn English, register the children for school, and helped them get a car.
Eventually, JFS hired Nadya, her husband, and one of their daughters.
"I think for everybody, JFS is the best place to work in," said Almiqdad. "You have freedom for everything. I would love to stay and work here forever."
While the food pantry remains closed to the public due to COVID-19 protocols, program directors said they hope it will open its doors again soon.