Kamryn Bolek, OHRA kitchen manager, speaks with a visitor about the operation of the new kitchen. (Ashland.news photo by Bob Palermini)

Facility at 2350 Ashland. St. serves daily meals

A kitchen serving daily meals to those in need was unveiled to a small group of supporters Thursday evening at Opportunities for Housing, Resources and Assistance.

OHRA executive director Dan Cano told attendees the event at 2350 Ashland St., complete with a red ribbon cut by giant scissors, was to celebrate the importance and burgeoning success of the facility, which had already been in use for about a month.

As he listed off the individuals and organizations who donated to the kitchen, Cano stopped to apologize for the din of pots and pans as cooks prepared that evening’s meal.

Dinner is available every evening to those in need, including shelter guests. Cooks prepare extra food to ensure leftovers can be heated and served to anyone who comes to the resource center hungry.

Of the 60 to 100 people who come daily to leverage walk-in resources, some are homeless, and some are families or individuals seeking help with transportation or paying utility bills, Cano said. With this kitchen and corresponding dining area, the nonprofit’s staff and guests have a chance to build relationships, he said.

Speaking on the city’s small grant contributions to the kitchen, Mayor Tonya Graham said the facility is a piece of infrastructure supporting a collaborative approach to the complexities of homelessness, which will only be successful when done collaboratively.

“There’s something about breaking bread with another human being. There’s something even more special when it’s cooked by people who care,” Graham said.

OHRA’s lead cook Kamryn Bolek acknowledged the kitchen — slightly bigger than the average food truck — was small but equipped for the work. A U.S. Air Force veteran who once trained military cooks before deployment to feed hundreds, preparing 80 or so meals a day is a rewarding breeze, she said.

There’s usually a line out the door when dinner is served at 5 p.m., she said. Around 30 to 35 people come each night, with another 28 meals sent over to families in need living in a motel. Another 15 to 20 meals are prepared to be ready to heat for those who may arrive at the center hungry.

Opening the one available freezer, Bolek pointed to piles of strawberries waiting to become strawberry shortcake desserts with whipped cream. Stacks of green beans nearly obscured red potatoes and meat for a pot roast. Every Wednesday, Bolek fills out an order, with U.S. foods to be delivered the following day for a week’s worth of meals, she said. 

Building a relationship is where the reward really lies, Bolek said. She’s happy to learn names and greet regulars, fill requests or invite guests to make their own. Recently, she leaned out the window where meals can be picked up and asked an elderly gentleman sitting in the dining area what he wanted her to prepare for the following week. His request of Stroganoff was joyfully granted.

Along one wall of the dining area, a table was laden with various board games. A white board on the wall showed a drawing of a cartoon dog smiling, along with the day’s menu and a separate one for the following day. Thursday guests would soon be served grilled zucchini squash, red potatoes, pork chops with mushrooms and gravy and scratch-made applesauce. Friday guests could expect chicken chimichangas, cilantro lime rice, black beans and corn and lemon squares with blueberry glaze.

A mural covered part of the wall with bright colors and images of the Rogue Valley’s hills and oak savannahs, clouds in sunset lighting hovering over its agricultural fields and mountains. Monarch butterflies and cocoons throughout the artwork are representative of the hopes of those who come into OHRA, said artist Sarah Bernard. When OHRA approached her for the mural she donated to the space, she said he was given a list of words for inspiration to create a visual for their dining area — regrowth, abundance, renewal, transformation.

Email Ashland.news reporter Morgan Rothborne at morganr@ashland.news. This story first appeared at Ashland.news