Central Kitchen Expansion
Healthy Food Starts with the Right Foundation.
Fresh, nutritious meals don’t happen by chance. They require the right partnerships, the right resources, and the right infrastructure. Through our Central Kitchen Expansion initiative, Project Healthy Kids is helping communities prepare and serve fresh, locally sourced meals that nourish children while strengthening West Virginia’s local food system.
Every Child Deserves a Fresh Meal.
For many schools and community organizations, serving healthy meals isn’t limited by commitment—it’s limited by resources.
Project Healthy Kids partners with schools, childcare centers, local farmers, and community organizations to expand kitchen capacity and develop practical solutions that make fresh, locally sourced meals more accessible for children and families across West Virginia.
By investing in the systems behind every meal, we’re helping communities provide healthier food today while creating opportunities for tomorrow.
A Community-Led Solution
The Central Kitchen Food Project began with one shared goal: making healthy meals more accessible for children.
Working alongside childcare providers, nonprofit organizations, funders, state leaders, and local farmers, Project Healthy Kids helped develop West Virginia’s first Central Kitchen Food Project—a collaborative model designed to prepare fresh, from-scratch meals using locally sourced ingredients while supporting the communities that produce them.
What began as one project has become a growing model for strengthening food access across the state.
Expanding Our Reach
As the need for healthy food continues to grow, so does our work.
Today, Project Healthy Kids is partnering with communities across West Virginia to expand central kitchen infrastructure, increase access to fresh meals, and create scalable models that can serve children and families for generations to come.
Morgantown, WV
With support from the Benedum Foundation, we’re expanding kitchen infrastructure and food preservation strategies that increase the year-round use of locally grown produce while strengthening regional food systems.
Huntington, WV
Supported by the Pallottine Foundation, our Huntington Central Kitchen is expanding access to fresh meals for childcare centers, schools, and community organizations throughout southern West Virginia.
Looking Ahead
Through the West Virginia Food Systems Expansion Project, in partnership with the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition and other statewide partners, we’re helping prepare more than 1 million fresh meals annually while supporting local agriculture across 16 West Virginia counties.
More Than Meals
The impact of a central kitchen reaches far beyond the plate.
Because when communities have the tools to prepare healthy food, everyone benefits.
Every kitchen creates opportunities to:
- Increase access to fresh, nutritious meals
- Support West Virginia farmers and food producers
- Strengthen local food systems
- Reduce barriers for schools and childcare providers
- Create long-term solutions that benefit entire communities
See the Central Kitchen in Action
Discover how our Central Kitchen Food Project is helping connect farms, kitchens, schools, and communities to create healthier futures across West Virginia.
From the Communities We Serve
“We love the Central Kitchen Food Project! The food is always fresh, the children love it, and the support Project Healthy Kids provides has made it so much easier for us to serve healthy, nutritious meals every day.”
Helen Post-Brown
Director, Sunbeam Early Learning Center
Fairmont, West Virginia
Invest in the Future of West Virginia
Every partnership helps expand access to fresh food, support local agriculture, and create new opportunities for children and families.