Planning

Meals for the month are planned far in advance with a special focus on balanced nutrition for various dietary needs. 

“We plan as far out as a month to prepare for bigger events like holidays or any major celebrations. We start planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas right after Labor Day. All the cooks and myself meet to discuss the menu. Everyone is given the opportunity to express what they’d like to make and because of their extensive background in culinary, everyone is eager to show what we can do. We take into account any dietary needs. So there are times when we cook one meal that serves everyone without having to cook something special.”

Storing

Donated and purchased food is kept in our storage warehouse.  

“We purchase about 60% of food and 40% is what we receive in food donations from our partners and generous donors. We divide the donations between the three campuses here in the city. Once it’s divided, it’s put away and stored. Items are labeled and dated so we have a visual of when something is running out. At the warehouse, our logistics person picks up any donations, takes them to the warehouse, and does inventory. On Mondays, a list is submitted to him to pull the items that we need to get us through the week.”

Prepping & Conserving

Fresh produce is washed, diced, and placed in containers. Extra vegetables are frozen so there are always wholesome ingredients on hand. 

“We get basic ingredients on a continuous basis. As onions and peppers come in, we go ahead and wash them, dice them up, and put them into containers. This helps the cook not to have to spend time on that part of the meal. They can just reach in and grab it. Also, whatever we’re not using for the week, we go ahead and freeze it, so that we’ll always have it on hand. This helps with the process of cooking large dinners. Since we’ve started doing this, it’s so much easier for the cook to throw everything together and make it happen much quicker.” 

Cooking

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are prepared by our culinary team in a consolidated kitchen at My Sister’s House.

“At home, you’re probably preparing for a lovely family of four. Here at Atlanta Mission, we are preparing for a lovely family of around 800, and that’s four campuses, therefore, it’s quite the challenge. You have to take into consideration everything it takes to prepare that meal from ingredients to pots, pans, oven space, how you’re going to prepare it, and then seasoning it to where it’s going to be just exquisite. All of the cooks are up at 4:00 AM and show up here at 5:00 AM.”

Serving

Meals are then transported around town to other campuses and served with the help of staff and volunteers.

“The meals are cooked at My Sister’s House and then the driver will deliver. Then they serve the meal. We’re always happy to have volunteers. We get to know them on a first-name basis and it’s sort of like a reunion each time they show up.  

Last year we did Thanksgiving family-style. The difference in serving the food versus cafeteria-style is that it gives us an opportunity to be creative in how we can create a meal that’s going to encourage our clients to engage in conversation.”  

Transformation

Healthy food is a means of healing someone’s whole life—mind, body, and spirit.

“A fully balanced meal helps our clients in so many ways. It gives us an opportunity to educate them on healthier options and ease their mind because it’s like the starting point of the transformation process. The average shelter serves soup and sandwiches but here, we’re giving meals that are well-thought-out, well-planned. We’re giving portions where they’re not leaving the table saying, “I’m still hungry.” It helps them to understand that this place, Atlanta Mission, is there to give them hope, there to supply their needs, there to guide them in this process of making them better.”