FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
We are not going to deliver food that I would not serve in my restaurant.
Carole Clark
During the pandemic, in April 2020, former restaurateur Carole Clark and community activists Pam Kline and Carol Peckham founded Columbia County Recovery Kitchen (CCRK).
“It was Carole’s idea” says Pam, “but I can make it happen!”
Pam contacted local social services agencies including Sanctuary, the Department of Social Services and counselors at local public schools who referred families and individuals in need of food. Carole contacted two chefs, Jamie Parry, the chef at Swoon Kitchenbar, and John Carr, the chef at Le Perche (both restaurants were closed at the time). Christ Church Episcopal offered its kitchen space.
Word rapidly spread about the need for volunteers. Jamison Teale organized the meal distribution. Within six weeks of the lock down, CCRK was up and running. “It felt like a charmed endeavor,” says Clark. “Everyone we contacted said ‘Yes!!
In just four years, CCRK has grown to one of the county’s most vibrant organizations.
1600 meals are delivered each week. The staff includes chefs Tommy Carlucci and Kathy Silliman, executive director Joleen Race and bookkeeper Kathy Buckley. These four are the only paid positions in an all volunteer organization.
“Over twelve percent of the county’s population is unable to access a sufficient amount of food,” points out Carole. “We are filling this need, but as we grow, we need volunteers for a variety of tasks including drivers, packers, grant writers, schedulers and fundraisers.”
For more information, contact carole@columbiacountyrecoverykichen.org