Mayor Martin J. Walsh Visits Community Servings, Jamaica Plain Based Non-Profit Focused on Nutrition for the Chronically Ill

(Jamaica Plain, MA) – Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh observed a workforce training program and volunteered in the kitchen during a visit to Community Servings today. The Jamaica Plain based non-profit is focused on providing medically tailored meals to individuals with illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and lupus or chronic diseases.

Mayor Walsh met with trainees in the Community Servings Teaching Kitchen, which trains individuals interested in careers in the food service industry who are currently unemployed or facing barriers to full-time employment. Teaching Kitchen participants learn basic food service skills, while also helping the Community Servings kitchen staff prepare the 425,000-plus meals delivered to clients each year.

“Though we serve more than 20 communities in Eastern Massachusetts, are roots are in Boston. Not only are the vast majority of our Teaching Kitchen participants from Boston neighborhoods, we rely on thousands of volunteers from Boston businesses, schools and community groups annually,” said David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings. “We’re pleased to welcome Mayor Walsh to our Jamaica Plain kitchens and training program.”

“Thanks to local, Boston non-profits like Community Servings, many residents gain reliable access to nutritious meals that allow them to recover from severe illnesses while at home. Their kitchens, staff members and training program, which provides a pipeline to careers in food service, makes a difference in so many lives,” said Mayor Walsh. “I thank all the staff members, participants and volunteers at Community Servings for going above and beyond to lend a helping hand to those in need.”

The Teaching Kitchen program leverages Community Servings expertise in food service to provide a distinctive food service job-training program for vulnerable populations that are struggling with poverty and hunger themselves. In the past year, trainees were un/under-employed and low-income, 72% were non-permanently housed, 59% were ex-offenders and 25% were women, the majority of whom were single mothers.

The model integrates both a classroom and experiential learning approach in the kitchen through 15 learning modules. The modules give trainees a versatile education in food-service, while working in the kitchen allows for technical practice. At the end of the program, participants take the ServSafe test, a nationally-recognized certification, and further increasing eligibility for a variety of employment opportunities.

About Community Servings

Community Servings is a not-for-profit food and nutrition program providing services throughout Massachusetts to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, MS, and Lou Gehrig’s disease and over 30 others. We provide our 1,600 clients, their dependent families, and caregivers with appealing, nutritious lunch, dinner & a snack each day and send the message to those in greatest need that someone cares. Our goals are to help our clients maintain their health and dignity and preserve the integrity of their families through culturally appropriate, home-delivered meals, nutrition education, and other community programs. For more information, please visit www.servings.org.

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