Construction on new Community Kitchen Express building expected to begin in May
Community Kitchen of Monroe County plans to build a new Express location at 1100 W. 11th St. which means tearing down the current structure so a new one can be erected. At 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the agency will have a groundbreaking ceremony to begin the project that is expected to be underway by May.
The nonprofit soup kitchen's primary location is at 1515 S. Rogers St. It opened the 11th Street site as Community Kitchen Express in July 2001, leasing the building from Bloomington Township. Since 2021, Community Kitchen has owned the Express building located in the Crestmont community.
The new building won't be in the same spot on the small lot, according to Vicki Pierce, executive director at Community Kitchen.
"It is very old and very used," Pierce said of the current structure. "It's not a good use of space. ... On a tiny lot it limits what you can do with the space."
Contractor Strauser Construction will build the one-story replacement. The company also served as contractor when Community Kitchen rebuilt its South Rogers Street location in 2011.
The new structure will offer more options for serving people into the future, Pierce said. The design will tie it to both the South Rogers Street location, using similar bricks, lettering and awnings, as well as the agency's food truck, with a mural on two sides that resemble the one on the food truck.
The groundbreaking marks the launch of the agency's fundraising campaign, Invest in Express. The goal is to raise $150,000 to support capital and operational costs for the Express site.
Meals expected to continue at Express location during construction
Even with the Express building being torn down and reconstructed, Pierce said the agency will continue to provide meals in that neighborhood. The meals consist of a main entrée, side item, fruit and a beverage.
"We are in conversation with Crestmont folks," Pierce said, adding Community Kitchen may temporarily use the community building to serve meals. "To stay open the entire time, that is our preference."
The Express location offers grab-and-go meals for anyone who needs nutritious food and is currently open 4-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The meals are prepared at the South Rogers Street site and transported to the Express location, which has one staff member and one volunteer working each day.
"Our goal is to get food to people as quickly as possible," Pierce explained.
In 2023, Community Kitchen served 325,446 meals to 4,957 unduplicated people. Nearly 40,000 meals were served at the Express location in 2023.
Reach Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Community Kitchen of Monroe County plans new building for Express site
