CAMDEN – After a two-year closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cathedral Kitchen celebrated the reopening of its dining room March 30.
“The dining room’s closure was extremely difficult for our meal guests. They missed the sense of community the dining room provided and the opportunity to come inside and enjoy a hot meal in a safe and climate-controlled atmosphere,” said Carrie Kitchen-Santiago, Cathedral Kitchen’s executive director. “For many of the guests, the time they spend in our dining room may be the only time they have a personal interaction with someone who calls them by their name and asks how their day is going. Our staff and volunteers are very excited to welcome our guests back inside.”
Cathedral Kitchen is the largest emergency meal provider in South Jersey, serving more than 100,000 meals a day, as well as providing groceries and personal hygiene items to those in need in the Camden community. The nonprofit organization was forced to close its doors at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. It continued its meal program, however, adapting services to-go.
Robert Marrone, board of trustees president, explained that during the closure, the dining room was redesigned “from a cafeteria-type style seating to dinner tables for the guests to experience as if they are in a restaurant.”
Cathedral Kitchen also offers case management for their meal guests to help them achieve stability through counseling and access to benefits. As Kitchen-Santiago says, “We are all experiencing inflation at the gas station and supermarket. For our guests, higher prices can mean the decision whether to pay rent and utilities or to purchase groceries. The reopening of the dining room is happening at a time when we are seeing an increase in demand for our services. As inflation continues to rise, we expect the need for Cathedral Kitchen will also grow.”
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