Operation Food Search (OFS) has received a $500,000 grant from the Berges Family Foundation to support its Healthy Food, Healthy Community renovation.
The award represented the first of two annual distributions and was designated specifically for the creation of OFS’s new teaching kitchen.
The kitchen is an eight-station, hands-on classroom where participants cook alongside a chef instructor and gain practical skills for preparing simple, healthy and affordable meals.
With the Berges Family Foundation’s support, the space enhances nutrition education from garden to table, boosting nutrition and supporting long-term food security, according to OFS.
“We are beyond grateful to the Berges Family Foundation for making this new space possible,” said Kristen Wild, OFS president and CEO. “The teaching kitchen has become a beloved space where people can learn how to prepare nutritious meals while building confidence and connection. It has elevated our ability to teach and empower families across the region.”
The OFS MetroMarket also made its first official stop in Illinois on Sept. 12, thanks to a new partnership with the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center in East St. Louis.
Operation Food Search Chief Operating Officer Carlton Adams says the center will become a regular stop on Fridays for the organization’s rolling farmers markets.