By Jennifer Theurer
Kitchen Restore collects new or gently used kitchen items so Riley County families can prepare and share healthy meals. Offered through Nourish Together, a community initiative of the Food and Farm Council of Riley County and the City of Manhattan, the program distributes cups, plates, whisks, and baking dishes among several other items to promote healthy eating and recycling.
Megan Dougherty, Riley County Extension agent specializing in nutrition, health, and food safety, is a Food and Farm Council member and said the program was inspired by a nutrition workgroup in 2020.
“At the time, our focus was on ensuring families had access to nutritious food,” she said. “But as we stepped back, we realized we were missing a critical piece of the puzzle.”
Getting nutritious food to families wasn’t helpful if they didn’t have the tools to prepare it.
“Today the program provides families with essential kitchen equipment to cook meals at home while also reducing waste by recycling kitchenware,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty asks those interested in donating to think about what one would need if they were just starting out and wanted to prepare a meal for their family. She also asks that they refer to the accepted donations list available on Nourish Together’s Facebook page and their website at nourishtogether.org. The list highlights the products the group needs the most and offers other ways to donate.
In its sixth year, Kitchen Restore has distributed more than 500 kitchen kits to neighbors in need and has kept nearly 35,000 pounds of usable kitchenware out of local landfills.
