Cancer & Chronic Illness Program Success Story

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  • Launched a Cancer Recovery Program

    To combat cancer and other chronic illnesses, special dietary needs must be in place. Yet, for many in our community, food security is difficult to come by. Additionally, many diagnosed with cancer or a chronic illness suffer from mobility problems that limit their abilities to shop or cook. So in 2020, Organic Soup Kitchen launched their…

  • Moved to a New Location to Meet Increasing Demand 

    When COVID came, Organic Soup Kitchen’s operation grew tremendously. They decided to move to a new kitchen in downtown Santa Barbara to meet increasing demand and their need for more freezer space. 

  • Received Food System Resilience Grant

    The Organic Soup Kitchen was awarded $10,000 by SBCFAN’s Food System Resilience Grant program to support increased staffing to meet the growing demand for their Cancer & Chronic Illness Recovery Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Increased Connection with Partner Organizations

    Throughout 2021, Organic Soup Kitchen focused on increasing partnerships and collaborated with many local nonprofits to ensure access to nutrient-dense foods for the community.

  • Prevented Food Waste through Preservation

    Organic Soup Kitchen strives to prevent food waste by processing and freezing surplus food provided by Veggie Rescue and local farms such as Trinity Gardens. Every week they recover around 250 and 500 pounds of fresh produce.

  • Transitioned to Plastic Free Containers

    In the fall of 2021, they began tooling up to transition to all compostable containers. 

  • Upgraded Kitchen Equipment to Reduce Carbon Footprint

    With a grant from the Williams-Corbett Foundation, Organic Soup Kitchen installed a 600-pound skillet that will allow them to steam blanch and flash freeze hundreds of pounds of local organic produce each week that would otherwise end up in the landfill. This equipment upgrade to minimize food waste along with the recent shift to 100%…

Future Plans for Activation:

Organic Soup Kitchen will be a part of a composting program to begin diverting their food scraps from the landfill. “Not only will we reduce methane and carbon emissions by composting, but we will also help to bring carbon back down into the soil.”

KEY METRICS

Grew from serving 300 clients to700
clients in a year
20
partner organizations
Over1000000
bowls of soups served and counting

NOTABLE SUCCESSES

  • “Organic Soup Kitchen has served our community’s 15,000 recorded cancer patients over 1,000,000 bowls of soup (and counting!). These soups contain about 27 ingredients and are carefully crafted to be nutrient-dense, have low acidity, and pureed.”
  • “Their soup meals are clinically formulated to help restore the immune system to fight off cancer and chronic illness.”
  • “The kitchen is preventing food waste by processing and freezing surplus food provided by local farms and veggie rescue programs. When there is a surplus of produce they cut, blanch, vacuum seal, and freeze the veggies. This process of preserving seasonal ingredients through flash freezing allows them to use these ingredients during the winter.”
  • “Their Delivery Service Program provides an outlet for low-income clients to thrive in their independence at home and meet their nutritional needs.”

Activating Food Action Plan goals

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