Petaluma Kitchen Tidbits

‘Occasional News from the Serving Line’ 

Your Care & Support Is

Our Recipe for Success !

Your Dollars Purchase Food! 
PETALUMA’S  
Your Donations Stock Our Pantry! 
COMMUNITY  
Your Time Helps Get the Work Done! 
RESOURCE   
  Your financial support is an important ingredient we depend on. 
DAILY HOT MEALS   You make it possible for us to purchase those food items we can’t 
FOR THE HUNGRY    do without and to stock our weekly food boxes when need for 
food assistance increases as it did again this year. 
 
 
FOOD BOXES     
 
DELIVERED WEEKLY  
  SEND YOUR
 
RESOURCES FOR 
  CHECK TODAY!
   
HOMELESS PEOPLE     The Petaluma Kitchen 
    P. O. Box 2744  
VOLUNTEER    
Petaluma, CA  94953 
OPPORTUNITIES    
  Individuals   
 
  Groups 
Your time as a volunteer has been and will continue to be the 
  Businesses 
backbone of our program. Each year our small Kitchen staff lever‐
  Students 
ages over 20,000 hours of volunteer time to prepare and serve 
  meals; pick and pack items for food boxes; pick‐up donated food 
COLLABORATION  from local businesses and deliver food boxes.   
WITH COMMUNITY    
GROUPS   We especially appreciate the many donations of grocery items that 
  PK311 people gather and bring to us every week. Please check the back 
page of this newsletter for staple items we can always use. 

WANT TO DO MORE TO HELP?   
 You Can Make a Difference—See How Inside    
 The Petaluma Kitchen Prepares For  
Springtime Move   
 
New Efficient Facility Brings More Opportunity to Serve 
The Petaluma Kitchen staff has been very busy and excited over the past months preparing 
for the move in Spring 2011 to our new and improved facility at COTS’ Mary Isaak Center. At 
our new home we will enhance our role as a community hub and a major pantry and food 
source for needy folks in our community and continue to offer outreach to homeless people 
on the street, as well as new opportunities for job training and income generation. 
 
So why is the Petaluma Kitchen moving? For a number of years there has been an agreement 
between the City of Petaluma and COTS to move the Petaluma Kitchen from the old Fire  
Station house on Payran Street to the Mary Isaak Center.  This wasn’t 
possible before now for several reasons including access. Now that the 
Caulfield crossing is open, we hope to see our new kitchen up and run‐
ning in May 2011. 
 
COTS’ Petaluma Kitchen is deeply committed to the mission of  
providing free hot meals and weekly food boxes for people in our  
community who are food‐challenged.  We will continue to serve as 
many adults and children who come to us in need as we are capable of  MARY ISAAK CENTER
feeding.  We are working hard to assure minimal disruption of service 
during the move.  Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the move in May! 

COTS ‐ Petaluma Kitchen
Need For Food Assistance Continues  Seven Year History ‐ Meals Served
2004 ‐ 2010
 in the Petaluma Community  2010 125669

2009 123706

2008 102661

Since COTS began running the Petaluma Kitchen in 2002, we 
Year

2007 99181

2006 90928

have more than tripled the number of daily meals provided  2005 84746

2004 42846

and consistently increased food box deliveries out of the  10000 25000 40000 55000 70000 85000 100000 115000 130000

Meals Served

Petaluma Kitchen.  
  COTS - Food Box Program
Seven Year History - Food Boxes Provided
During our current fiscal year 2010‐2011, we anticipate   2004 - 2010

providing over 126,000 meals. Our weekly food box   2010 20178

2009 18322
program expects to deliver over 20,000 boxes of groceries.   2008 14665

This represents over 750,000 pounds of food for program  
Year

2007 12517

2006 14165

participants!   2005 11549

2004 11230

  0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000 22000

2  Number of Food Boxes Provided

 PK History
The Petaluma Kitchen got its start 29 years ago in
response to the urgent needs of local people who
were impacted by severe flooding on the
Petaluma River. A 'community kitchen' was
established in a non-
operational fire station on
Payran Street in Petaluma.
This ‘temporary’ kitchen
evolved over the years into a
vital community resource with
more and more people
depending on it for daily
sustenance.
In 2002, COTS assumed management of the
kitchen from the St. Vincent De Paul Society
which had guided its operation for a number of
years. At that time COTS established a daytime
"Opportunity Center" at the Petaluma Kitchen
location to help the many homeless people
coming to the kitchen connect with needed
services and to find shelter.
In 2004 the City of Petaluma and COTS
collaborated to develop the Mary Isaak Center
(MIC) to provide emergency shelter and transi-
tional housing for people who were homeless.
When first built the MIC building was
constructed with only a shell of a kitchen — a
decision made for cost-savings and site develop-
ment reasons. COTS made a commitment to the
City to move the Petaluma Kitchen into MIC when
the site became ready. That has now
happened.
In the new facility The Petaluma Kitchen will pro-
vide food for more people because of an
increase in operation efficiency. By being
located in The Mary Isaak Center we foresee that
people still struggling with homelessness will have
better access to COTS transformative programs.
And the new equipment will also provide program
participants a chance to gain work skills, job
experience and in some instances earn a small
income. Finally, we also have plans to develop a
culinary training program and start a ‘social enter-
prise’ business making food products.
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A Chance to “ Give Back”
 
My husband Martyn and I live in Petaluma with 
our children and have always tried to support local 
nonprofits like COTS.  With the pressure of the 
economic downturn, I wanted to find additional 
ways in which I might be of 
service.   
 
I work part‐time in my own 
consulting business so when I 
saw a Facebook notice that the 
Petaluma Kitchen was looking 
for volunteer drivers one  
morning a week, I decided to 
sign up.   
Every Monday, after the kids are dropped at school, 
my volunteer partner Ron and I rev up the big 
white truck, pack the boxes, and head out to vari‐
ous local grocery stores where we pick up donated 
goods.  Rain or shine ‐‐ holiday or not, I show up 
and do what I can to help feed those who are in 
need.   
 
This volunteer commitment helps remind me to be 
ever so grateful for the life we lead here in  
beautiful Petaluma.  I have been amazed by the 
staff and volunteers at the Petaluma Kitchen and 
the amazing number of people fed by their efforts. 
   
                               — Kerry Enright 
 
Help Stir Things Up in the Kitchen 
Volunteer Today !! 
Contact Lynn Stanton at COTS
765-6530 x 111
or
volunteers@cots-homeless.org
Cook
Clean
Pack Food
Deliver Groceries
Feel Great!!
 URGENTLY NEEDED FOOD ITEMS  
Please bring Family Sizes whenever possible 

CANNED GOODS DRY GOODS

Quality Vegetables (corn, Rice/ Brown Rice/
tomatoes, beans, peas, etc.) Rice Mixes
Chili/Chili Beans/Black Beans Pasta Noodles/
Spaghetti Sauce Pasta Mixes
Canned Stews Cereals
Mixed Vegetables Oatmeal
Soups Stuffing/Stuffing Mixes

Please bring your donations to:  
 

The Petaluma Kitchen 
301 Payran Street 
 
Hours of Operation: 
Daily— 7am to 2pm 
 
Kitchen Contact 
  707‐778‐6380 

A Special Thank You

Next time you food shop take a minute to say ‘thanks’ to some of our local business 
who are donating food to people in need through the Petaluma Kitchen. 
 
• Barbara’s Bakery   • G&G Market   • Lucky’s   • Petaluma Market 
 
• Petaluma Poultry   • Raley’s   • Safeway   • Trader Joe’s 
 

The Petaluma Kitchen—A Program of COTS  •  P.O. Box 2744, Petaluma, CA 94953  
• 707‐778‐6380  • www.cots‐homeless.org  PK311
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