Full-service commercial kitchen supporting Neighborhood Alliance programming.
The Flex Farm
Neighborhood Alliance received a grant of $4995 from Bendix Commercial Vehicle System LLC to support the purchase of the FLEX FARM indoor vertical hydroponic technology. Each FLEX FARM unit can grow more than 394 pounds of produce annually. The ability to grow our produce will support our new high-volume Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen and help us triple the number of healthy meals produced each day compared to the capacity at the current location.
This innovative project will provide educational opportunities for our childcare centers and volunteer opportunities for the community while ensuring a plentiful bounty of fresh produce to be included in menu planning for our youth programs, Haven Center Emergency Shelter residents, and our older home-delivered meal clients.
** The indoor gardening project is housed at our Washington Avenue, Elyria location, home of the Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen.
Food Pantry – SPORK OFF
Neighborhood Alliance is thrilled to announce the completion of a new commercial kitchen located in Elyria. To celebrate this occasion, the agency hosted a friendly chefs’ competition on March 29th that streamed live on Youtube. To rewatch click the button on the left.
Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen unveiled
Kevin Martin, The Chronicle-Telegram
Elyria: Neighborhood Alliance breaks in Nutrition Kitchen with cook off
Aliah Kimbro, The Morning Journal
Under Construction – 2022
Due to a very generous gift of a building in Elyria, the agency has the opportunity to expand the Senior Nutrition program by moving into a new kitchen. The Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen will allow for increased capacity for the Home Delivered Meals program as well as support a new full-service commercial catering program. Continuing to serve in the current “warming kitchen” configuration is not sustainable and kitchen expansion in the current location at 1536 East 30th Street, Lorain is not possible. In addition, the lack of cold storage capacity in the current location is a barrier to becoming a full-service commercial kitchen. Remodeling space at the Washington Avenue building into a full-service commercial kitchen and relocating the Senior Nutrition Program will increase not only capacity but efficiency as well.
The Neighborhood Nutrition Kitchen will offer over 2100 sq. ft of space designed for increased capacity and efficiency compared to the current 1400 sq. ft outdated East 30th Street, Lorain warming kitchen. This new commercial kitchen will have adequate storage for both perishables and non-perishables and by 2024 will have the ability to provide 9000 meals per week.
