Coming Soon: The Patachou Foundation "Kitchen HQ"

The Patachou Foundation will open home base for meal production and programming to serve Indy’s hungry youthFebruary 24, 2019 (INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – The Patachou Foundation will begin construction on a 4,000 square-foot headquarters called “Kitchen HQ,” a production and teaching kitchen in Historic Marcy Village. Since 2013, the nonprofit has served more than 100,000 scratch-made, after-school and school break meals to food-insecure students in Indianapolis and plans to increase meal production and educational programming offerings in this new space.Kitchen HQ, slated to open in summer 2019, will house a commercial kitchen to prepare the more than 1,000 high-quality meals it serves at eight Indianapolis schools each week. The foundation has outgrown its current kitchen space shared with Patachou Inc. restaurant group, owned by the foundation’s founder Martha Hoover.“Since its inception, The Patachou Foundation has been an example of new philanthropic normative values,” says Hoover. “The Patachou Foundation will continue to operate in the manner of a lean and entrepreneurial start-up with a strategic eye on smart growth and measured impact.”The production kitchen will also convert into a teaching kitchen for student lessons from industry professionals.A public, for-profit coffee shop operated by the foundation will generate a revenue stream to help support the project. The foundation will offer job skills training to the youth it serves through the coffee shop’s operations. “This unique food fellowship will introduce young people to how a business is run, and how our food system works – from farming and food preparation to point of sale and customer service,” says Executive Director Matthew Feltrop.Feltrop adds, “At Kitchen HQ, The Patachou Foundation will increase its capacity to fight hunger - both by serving more wholesome meals at our partner meal sites and by teaching skills and healthy habits that benefit youth their whole lives.” The foundation currently provides hands-on lessons at the elementary schools it serves.The Patachou Foundation will hold a celebration to kick off the construction of Kitchen HQ on February 27 at 9:30 am at 4555 Marcy Lane, Indianapolis, IN 46205. At the event, The Patachou Foundation will launch the public phase of its capital campaign to close the $100,000 gap needed to fund the $750,000 project.About The Patachou FoundationThe Patachou Foundation prepares, serves, and delivers healthy meals to children impacted by homelessness, hunger, and poverty and increases their awareness, connection, and excitement about the real foods they are eating. The Patachou Foundation’s meal service at eight Indianapolis schools, all located in certified food deserts, is complemented by hands-on educational programming to combat food insecurity at its core to break the cycle of hunger in our community.For more information, visit thepatachoufoundation.org.