Fighting food insecurity in Milwaukee; commercial kitchen opens
MILWAUKEE - The Centers for Independence Food and Nutrition Services team cooks thousands of meals daily to distribute to schools across greater Milwaukee. Recently, Centers for Independence moved into a new space off 27th Street to expand their mission. It’s called Concordia 27 Commercial Kitchen.
It brings nutrition and health experts under one roof, so they can work together to make sure no child goes hungry.
In addition to preparing and providing meals for school- and daycare-based partners, Centers for Independence will also provide the following services from Concordia 27:
- Nutritional wellness programming for the community, offering Near West Side residents opportunities to learn from registered dietitians about how to cook nutritious meals and develop a healthy relationship with food; in 2023, more than 700 youths in the Milwaukee-area received. Nutrition Wellness education as part of this program.
- Hands-on job training for those starting a career in food service; in 2023, more than 350 people were placed in jobs through the Centers for Independence employment services program, and the Concordia 27 commercial kitchen will enable Centers for Independence to make an even greater impact in the community.
The completion of the commercial kitchen marks a major milestone in the renovation of Concordia 27.
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Later this spring, the rest of Concordia 27 will open to the public, including a café, six retail spaces that will be available for small business owners or local artisans, community event and meeting space, and offices for Centers for Independence, Fruition MKE, Scaling Wellness in Milwaukee (SWIM) and Near West Side Partners (NWSP).
It is anticipated that the 33 affordable housing units being developed above the community center will open to tenants in early 2025.