Kitchens for Change started out as an idea during the pandemic when the two club leaders saw some Turlock residents not having access to a lot of meals. The club intended to give back on two fronts, they held fundraisers, where they donated the proceeds to local charitable organizations, and they also cooked and served meals for people in need through partnerships with local organizations like the Turlock Gospel Mission.

Turlock High School club Kitchens for Change made a tangible difference in the community by using their culinary skills to feed those most in need. Former Club President Elias Rabine and Former Vice President Audrey Smallwood both grew up in the restaurant industry and wanted to use their knowledge to give back in the most impactful way during their time as High school seniors.

“From a very young age I've been working at restaurants and seeing the impact that food can have on people, just sharing a meal with someone can genuinely just change your life. So, we know the community and the love that can be spread through food and he really wanted to get students involved with that change that can happen so that's what we did,” said Smallwood

“I think it's also something that we can do really well. She worked at the LaMo and I worked at First and Main, so it's like doing an event where we cook food and then we serve food to the people. We both know how to do that so we can use our talents to really impact the community,” said Rabine.

“After the pandemic we just saw a lot of food insecurity in our community. And I kind of had the idea and then I think Audrey had a similar idea where it was just like, what can we do as high school kids? What can we do to help our community? And this is kind of the idea that we had on our way to help,” said Rabine.

“I think it's really important to give back, especially post-pandemic. All of us really experienced the effects that it had on us, some more than others. So, you know it's really great to just get in here, get involved, really help the people who experienced the pandemic the worst,” said Smallwood.

In 2023 Kitchens for Change obtained their 501(c)(3) Non-Profit status and expanded to 2 Chapters in the Stanislaus County. Are you looking to make an investment and an impact in your local community?
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