Holiday Hours
St. Peter's Kitchen will serve a Christmas lunch on Friday, December 22nd before closing for the week of December 25th. We will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd.
We hope that you have a restful holiday season!
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Immediate Needs
We're always grateful to receive donations for our lunch and pantry programs! We find ourselves running low on the following:
Salt & Pepper • Garlic Powder • Onion Powder • Brown Sugar • Individual Juices/Drinks • Barbecue Sauce • Plasticware & Luncheon Napkins
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Looking Back on 2023 at St. Peter's Kitchen
Believe it or not, but 2023 is almost over. How the time flew by! St. Peter's Kitchen had a record-breaking year; we served more than 10,000 meals almost every month, and we broke a daily record when we served 350 people during lunch. So many things made this growth possible, from new connections to developments to our space at 681 Brown Street to the consistent and passionate dedication of our staff and expanding family of volunteers.
Here is a selection of our favorite memories of 2023. A little nostalgia doesn't hurt, and we hope you enjoy this brief jaunt down memory lane with us!
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In 2023, we were award-winning.
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Pediatric Links with the Community Advocacy Award -
University of Rochester Medical Center
This year, St. Peter's hosted several residents and medical students through URMC's Pediatric Links with the Community (PLC) program and its Hoekelman Center. The residents that visited us volunteered and learned through service about the many factors that can impact a child's health.
We are honored to have been recognized with the 2023 PLC Advocacy Award "for outstanding teaching and excellence in caring for the children of Rochester." We are so grateful to have met and served with so many great future pediatricians, and we are looking forward to continuing our relationship into 2024. And thanks again for bringing a delicious lunch!
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W. Burton Richardson Lifetime Achievement Award to Patty Lorenzen
Patty Lorenzen, recently retired Director of the Kitchen, was honored by the Monroe County Federation of Social Workers with the W. Burton Richardson Lifetime Achievement Award in October.
All of us at St. Peter’s wish Patty a heartfelt congratulations for this much deserved recognition for her many years of commitment and compassion to the Kitchen. Way to go Patty!
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We were able to make major upgrades to our kitchen equipment thanks to a very generous grant from the Molly and Ed Shill Cares Foundation. The grant enabled us to purchase four new convection ovens, a warming oven, a two-door refrigerator, and several other much needed items. The grant also funded upgrades to our electrical system which allowed us to install a new, walk-in freezer to store more food. This gift from Shill Cares couldn’t come at a better time as we experience unprecedented numbers of people coming to the Kitchen for food. We can't wait to get to work in our revitalized kitchen!
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We are also grateful for the incredible generosity of Foodlink, we were able to purchase a new walk-in freezer. With our new freezer, we can store hundreds of more pounds of food and accommodate our growing numbers in our lunch program. Christopher Walk-In is already a very valuable team player!
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In 2023, we made new connections.
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As mentioned in November's newsletter, we expanded our pantry to include a stand at the Westside Farmer's Market during the spring and summer months. Each Tuesday, rain or shine, we helped families get groceries alongside the other businesses and vendors in the parking lot of St. Monica Church. We served more people than ever and met more like-minded organizations, meaning we can continue to make a difference together in the market's off-season.
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Also written about previously, 2023 has been the first year that St. Peter's is providing meals every weekday to Project Haven, a series of homeless shelters designed to support people fighting chronic homelessness and to establish individuals in permanent housing. With the beginning of Code Blue, an initiative from the City of Rochester to house all Rochesterians in the winter months, Project Haven is expanding its reach to more people, and we're glad to be able to support their efforts.
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Of course, the lifeblood of St. Peter's Kitchen is our volunteers. People-power is our most valuable resource, and we are beyond grateful for the incredible people who donate their time and energy. In addition to our new AmeriCorps member working behind-the-scenes and learning the ropes, we have so many volunteers, old and new, that live out our mission and make it a reality.
Thank you for your support of St. Peter's this year, and we'll see you in 2024!
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