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Venture grows outreach, builds community kitchen
“Even if we’re not feeding people with just food, we’re feeding them with hope, we’re feeding them with healing.”
— Doreen Hunter, Thrive founder
A new partnership between two Elgin organizations is putting food on tables and connecting families in need with community support options.
Thrive Open Kitchen, a Thrive After Domestic Violence and Elgin Open Door Missions collaboration, held its first meal kit distribution May 16. The event provided a week’s worth of fresh ingredients to 10 local families facing food insecurity, with monthly distributions planned for the third Saturday of each month at 108 Depot St. in downtown Elgin.
“Thrive Open Kitchen is about neighbors helping neighbors,” said Thrive founder Doreen Hunter. “We are grateful to partner with Elgin Open Door Missions, whose deep connection to the Elgin community will help ensure more families know about the program and can access fresh food.”
Hunter said the idea grew from years of advocacy work with domestic violence survivors, during which she often helped struggling families by buying groceries, babysitting or providing emergency support through micro grants.
“A lot of the things I see — besides trying to escape the actual domestic violence that these families are in — is they have other concerns,” she said. “And one of them is food insecurity.”
Elgin Open Door Missions, a local church and food pantry led by Sister Irene Marapao, is serving as the distribution site.
The partnership helps expand the church’s reach, according to Marapao.
“If you come in and say, ‘I’m hungry,’ we’re going to feed you,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are. We have to help each other. If we’re a self-sufficient community, then we’re an example to others.”
Both Hunter and Marapao said community support will be crucial to expand the program beyond its initial 10 families. The initiative is built to grow as more volunteers, sponsors and local farm partners get involved.
Thrive Open Kitchen’s long-term goal, according to Hunter, is to create a dedicated kitchen and community space that could serve meals and support other nonprofit efforts.
Residents in Elgin, Manor, Paige, Littig, Kimbro, McDade, Webberville, Sayersville, Coupland, Bastrop and Giddings are all eligible to register for assistance.
“Even if we’re not feeding people with just food, we’re feeding them with hope, we’re feeding them with healing,” Hunter said.
Registration details and more information is available at thriveafterdv.com.
