Tulsa Kitchens Unite: Keep Workers Employed, Feed Hungry People

A group of Tulsa restaurants, caterers and other food organizations are teaming up to make thousands of meals for people in need.

The name of the program is Tulsa Kitchens Unite. Its goal is to keep restaurant workers employed, while preparing about 30,000 meals a week.

Starting next week, Tulsa Kitchens Unite will be churning out meals for Tulsa Public School parents and students.

"They cannot feed the parents. They cannot provide dinners. We think that's a gap that needs to be filled," said Chris Bernard, executive director for Hunger Free Oklahoma.

The program is run by Hunger Free Oklahoma in partnership with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

It not only provides meals to folks to who need them, but it also helps keep local restaurant’s in business, and gives their employees pay checks.

"We source the product in partnership with the community food bank. The restaurants - they make the menu and they prep the meals," said Bernard.

The program is funded mostly by private foundations.

Bernard said they have about $900,000 of their $1.4 million goal.

Right now, five different kitchens are taking part in the program. Each meal costs $4 to make.

He said they reimburse the food bank, as well as pay the kitchen staff.

"We are making sure as much of that as possible can go to the workers and the man hours that are happening, and the overhead for the restaurant to keep their doors open,” he said.

Bernard said they are still looking for donations along with more volunteers to help distribute the food. He says all in all, it's a win-win-win situation.  

"The business gets support, but they get to keep their workers employed who also get paid and we get to help folks in need. By helping those workers, hopefully we are keeping them by being those folks In need," said Bernard.

If you’d like to help you can click the link here.