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Who We Are
Our History
Supplementing the PeaceDale Dinner Table program, The Kitchen of Hope has provided more than 53,000 free meals to the underserved of our community. Many are “take-out”, but the majority of our deliveries are home meals for seniors and the disabled. We serve South Kingstown and Narragansett RI.
As Seen in the R.I. Catholic Newspaper
Parishes join together to show love through meals, break ground on new facility
By Jennifer Barton, Rhode Island Catholic Correspondent
WAKEFIELD — A meal sounds like such a simple thing, yet beyond the need for bodily nourishment lies the necessity of social and emotional nourishment. All of these can be achieved through a simple dinner shared with others. The vision behind the Kitchen of Hope at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Wakefield goes beyond physical food. What started out as a group of people looking for something to do became a means of reaching out into the community, to being Jesus’ hands and feet to others. Thanks to dedicated volunteers and support of their new pastor, Father Albert Ranallo, Kitchen of Hope is about to gain a new home.
Father Ranallo, Craig Marciniak and Eve Sweeney spoke with Rhode Island Catholic about the
project. As Kitchen of Hope director, Marciniak explained how the ministry came about and its
mission. Initially, the group hadn’t planned to build an actual kitchen. In December of 2020, during the pandemic, parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi, including Marciniak, began volunteering at nearby Peace Dale Congregational Church’s Dinner Table ministry.
Fast forward four years, and while the pandemic ended, financial hardship continues for many in Rhode Island. But many are willing to help ease the burden.
Today, Marciniak stated that: “We also have volunteers … from Christ the King, St. Thomas More and surrounding parishes, and some people who don’t even go to the church that just want to show love to the community by volunteering with us.”
During COVID, they reached out to parish secretaries, asking for recommendations for “people that could use a little love from us,” Marciniak said.
Some of these men and women they reached out to – elderly people in their 80s and 90s – were reluctant to accept meals from them. But after engaging these elderly men and women in
conversation, volunteers persuaded them to accept this care.
“What’s really beautiful about this is it’s not just about getting food out to the community, it’s about getting to know the community,” Marciniak remarked.
Using their own facility, Peace Dale provides meals on Wednesday nights while Kitchen of Hope utilizes the space to host Friday night meals, which currently feed just under 400 people. The new facility currently being built can accommodate 600 to 700 meals a day. When it opens in October, organizers expect to feed about 500 people each Friday and plan to add a Monday night dinner as well. These dinners are free for anyone in need and cost the ministry around $2 a person through donations. No one in need is ever turned away. God provides.
“The population that we’re currently serving is the elderly, the homeless, people of both physical and mental illness, the disabled, shut-ins and a lot of families that are just struggling to put food on the table right now because of the cost of living down here in South Kingstown,” Marciniak said.
As the economy continues to be unstable, numerous Rhode Islanders feel the financial pinch. Grocery prices and other necessities keep increasing. Marciniak quoted a study saying that housing costs for single-parent families has risen above $83,000. Providing supplementary food for these mothers and fathers takes one bill away from them, he continued.
Much of the funding comes through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, whom Kitchen of Hope works closely with in their ministry. Kitchen of Hope partners with local businesses as well to provide
restaurant-quality meals, both in-house and delivery-style. Belmont Market, Panera Bread and Staples contribute food and printing supplies to make the meal deliveries possible. Cobrum Estate, a California producer of olive oil, donated a pallet of their product worth $4,000 to Kitchen of Hope. South County Hospital sponsored a surf ‘n’ turf meal around Christmas to the tune of several thousand dollars. The ministry even has its own garden, Garden of Hope, for fresh produce, a project undertaken last year by a high school senior.
“It’s just amazing how anyone we talk to about this program, they’re just all in.”
Father Ranallo added how the community supports the new construction project, noting that last year’s fundraiser gala “A Night in Italy” raised $79,000 and both Christ the King and St. Thomas More Parish have given generously to fundraising efforts.
“Both those churches want to be deeply involved in this program once we expand,” Marciniak said.
He sees the program as a means of bringing Catholic and Protestant churches together in service to others. Sweeney said that it also brings the message of Catholicism to the community. Father Ranallo affirmed that, stating that as pastor, his job is to evangelize and he does this by meeting people where they are and providing for their needs. Only then can they feel comfortable to ask spiritual and theological questions.
Serving 330 meals requires a crew of 45 onsite volunteers in a day, from preparing “restaurant-
quality” food in the morning to packaging and labelling the meals and finally to the food deliverers in the afternoon.
Sweeney stated that she needs 11 or 12 food delivery volunteers each week to distribute meals to families and individuals in 130 homes and apartments across the area. These volunteers become “very close; they know everybody, they know their birthdays,” she said.
Making home deliveries also enables them to be the “eyes and ears” of the ministry. These volunteers can see if a person might have been evicted, taken a fall or has other needs that they would not otherwise ask for help with.
Once, there was a military veteran and his wife about to become homeless that the group was able to relocate to a condo after putting much work into it to make it habitable. “We have about 40-50
volunteers; we did it in about a week. It was just a great fellowshipping, reaching out into the community as well.”
Another woman, who has been undergoing cancer treatments, stopped having meals delivered to her because everything tasted like metal. After contacting her, Marciniak learned about the few foods she could eat that tasted right and Kitchen of Hope now provides her with a special meal consisting of those foods.
“She just means so much to us,” Marciniak commented. “She’s going through a horrible time, she’s all alone and we just know that every week by doing that, she can feel the love of everyone here at our church.”
As for the delivery drivers, Sweeney said, “Every single one of these people are so committed and just fall in love with the project. If I miss someone or haven’t put them on the schedule, I’ll get a call; they so want to be there.”
When the new facility opens, organizers hope to host Thursday night dine-ins, with a model similar to Jon Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen in New Jersey, where customers pay what they can in either money or volunteerism. Marciniak pointed toward relationships he witnessed at those locations between
volunteers and community members. “We want everybody to feel a part of this community. We don’t want them to feel excluded because they may not be able to financially support something.”
“God gave us a gift, and he didn’t give us a gift to hold onto, he gave us a gift to share it.”
For members of Kitchen of Hope, that means preparing and serving meals with a smile, recognizing the dignity of each person receiving it.
Garden of Hope: Farm to Table
Welcome to Garden of Hope!
This spring, Gigi Gonsolves, a South Kingstown high school senior, installed the "Garden of Hope" for our meal program as part of her senior class project. Gigi raised the funds needed then organized the installation on the garden with her friends and classmates. Gigi and her sister also volunteer with our Friday night meal program.
As the Garden continues to grow we will incorporate the fresh fruits and vegetables into our served meals.
Light of Hope: Helping our neighbors!
We call upon the "Light of Hope" and the Society of St Vincent DePaul (St Francis of Assisi Conference) when we see that someone is in need.
St Vincent DePaul can provide both financial assistance as well as mentorship with basic budgeting.
Minor home repairs, painting, yard clean up, many ways we show our neighbors that they are loved!
“An Evening in Italy” at the Deepwell Manor, Wakefield, RI
Friends, Family, Love!
Friends, Family, Love!
Friends, Family, Love!
On Friday evening, August 23rd, 2024, we had more than 185 guests join us for a one of a kind Wine Tasting Gala to benefit the Kitchen of Hope!
Wine Tasting
Friends, Family, Love!
Friends, Family, Love!
Our thanks to Stephen Lynch and his family for donating all of the fine imported Italian Wines for our tasting!
Fine Italian Desserts
Friends, Family, Love!
Fine Italian Desserts
A great friend of the Kitchen of Hope, Amy Moriarty, created the most delicious Italian desserts imaginable and did so out of the kindness of her heart!
The Cuisine
Friends, Family, Love!
Fine Italian Desserts
The Constantino family generously donated the food for our event from Venda Ravioli. Our team of volunteers from the KOH put on the finishing touches.
Our Host
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Cigar Lounge
Our host for the night was Roland Fiore (left). Roland graciously Provided his home-Deepwell Manor - for our enjoyment! The KOH is grateful for his friendship!
Cigar Lounge
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Cigar Lounge
Tom Clune from Vintage Cigar Lounge in Westerly, RI not only donated the cigars for the evening, but, also provided education and knowledge about the fine smokes.
A Community that Cares
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Many churches came together to make this event a success. St Francis of Assisi, St Thomas More, St Bernard and Christ the King. Beautiful neighbors from Wakefield and Narragansett came together to spread the LOVE!
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Thank you to Our Sponsors
Thank you to Our Sponsors
The Local Group/Lila Delman, Gaebers Liquors, Blish&Cavanagh, DiPrete Engineering, Delta Dental, BankRI, Washington Trust, South Shore Village, High Road Hospitality, Vintage Cigar Lounge, Pinecrest Gof Course, St Thomas More Lady’s Guild, The Nelson Family,Venda Ravioli (The Constantino family) and Matunuck .Friends
Join Kitchen of Hope's Community Today
About Kitchen of Hope
Kitchen of Hope is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to supporting and empowering our community through various programs and initiatives. By providing free meals and working to help those in need in South Kingstown and Narragansett.
Our Mission
In the spirit of St Francis of Assisi, we elevate food security by providing healthy meals to local individuals and families. We build up a community of volunteers and donors through their particiapation in our weekly dinner delivery and in-house dining ministries. Our aim is to uplift those we serve by being a "Kitchen of Hope", promoting dignity, self-respect, and well-being.
Our Programs
Take out and delivered meals on Friday evenings
Our Impact
We don't just feed people, we look after them. Many of our meal recipients are also in need of other services or aid. We work closely with the St Francis of Assisi's St. Vincent DePaul Conference as well as with other local agencies such as, WARM Center, Johnny Cake Center, Tri-County and "Keep the Heat on."
Donate to Kitchen of Hope
Your donation will help us continue our mission and support our community. Every dollar counts and will make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Because we are a volunteer organization we have little to no administrative costs with all of your donations going to direct need.
Contact Us
Have a question or a suggestion? We're always here to help. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. 401-594-9304. kitchenofhope@icloud.com
Moments of Hope: It's more than just food!
Join Kitchen of Hope's Mission
Together, we can create positive change.