Langston Hughes Community Health & Education Center in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood offers a wide variety of community services. And now it has gained a teaching kitchen and food pantry thanks to its neighbor just up the street, the Cleveland Clinic (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Healthy food choices, nutrition education added
Cleveland Clinic has opened a teaching kitchen and food pantry at the Langston Hughes Community Health & Education Center, 2390 E. 79th St., a resource designed to expand access to nutrition education, healthy cooking skills and food resources for patients, families and residents of Cleveland’s east-side neighborhoods and beyond.
The 4,800-square-foot facility in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood features 16 residential-style cooking stations, a central demonstration area and technology that allows programs to be livestreamed, recorded and shared digitally, extending the reach of the programming.
The space also includes a Nourish Food Pantry Plus stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products and shelf-stable foods. The pantry is available to individuals who meet food insecurity criteria, regardless of whether they are Cleveland Clinic patients.
Community leaders and Cleveland Clinic officials joined together today to cut the ribbon on the new teaching kitchen and food pantry (Cleveland Clinic).
“At its core, this teaching kitchen is about opportunity,” Vickie Johnson, chief vommunity officer at Cleveland Clinic, said in a written statement. “We’re creating a place where people can learn new skills, access resources and connect with one another in ways that support long-term well-being.”
“By working alongside residents and community partners, we’re helping remove barriers that stand between people and better health,” she added. “When families are empowered to make healthy choices, entire communities benefit.”
The $1.6 million construction project was made possible through support from Meijer, Morrison Healthcare Food Services, the Callahan Foundation and the Walter and Jean Kalberer Foundation.
The new Nourish Food Pantry Plus is stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products and shelf-stable foods for people who meet food insecurity criteria (Cleveland Clinic).
The facility represents Cleveland Clinic’s ongoing commitment to addressing food insecurity and improving health outcomes through community-based nutrition programs. In the past year, Cleveland Clinic has committed more than $52 million to initiatives that reduce hunger and expand access to nutritious food across Ohio, Florida and Nevada.
“Food is one of the most critical tools we have to prevent disease, manage chronic conditions and improve overall well-being,” said Monica Yepes-Rios, medical director of Community Health and Food as Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.
“We know that food is medicine, yet far too many individuals and families face hunger and barriers to accessing nutritious foods,” Yepes-Rios continued. “As a leader in healthcare, we have a responsibility to address the factors that shape health beyond the walls of our hospitals. Through this teaching kitchen, we will address hunger, expand access to healthy food and improve health outcomes within our community.”
Brand new and immaculate, the teaching kitchen is ready to serve its community (Cleveland Clinic).
The teaching kitchen will serve as a clinical resource and community gathering space. Cleveland Clinic plans to host shared medical appointments and group programs focused on chronic conditions, inflammation reduction, weight management, heart-healthy eating and gut health, giving patients practical tools to apply nutrition guidance in their everyday lives. Beyond clinical programming, the space will host monthly community events in collaboration with local organizations.
The renovated space builds on the success of the Cleveland Clinic teaching kitchen at the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Health Center, which has provided hands-on nutrition education and wellness programming since 2011, and on the success of the Nourish Pantries at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Cleveland Clinic South Pointe.
Across its national footprint, Cleveland Clinic addresses food insecurity through initiatives including summer and weekend meals for children, food vouchers, free produce from local farms, Nourish food pantries, Produce Rx home-delivered produce boxes, and support for community organizations. The new teaching kitchen represents the next chapter in that work, bringing Cleveland Clinic’s food-as-medicine approach by connecting people with the skills, resources and nutritious foods they need to thrive.
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