Pat Knabel, retired State College Area School District learning support teacher, has been a frequent volunteer with Taproot Kitchen (TRK) since the summer of 2017. A colleague told Pat about TRK a few years ago and that planted the seed for her to plan to get involved as a volunteer when she retired from teaching. And that’s exactly what happened! Pat started her involvement with TRK by participating in the non-profit’s strategic planning workshop. She was immediately impressed with the group of “founders” who were committed to making Taproot Kitchen’s vision a reality: providing opportunities for a diverse and inclusive kitchen community whose goal is to glean fresh food from local farms for seasonal catering events. Pat was also impressed with the food that Taproot served at the strategic planning workshop. “It was my first realization that TRK food was exceptionally delicious!. Now I often copy recipes that we’re working on so I can make them at home,” says Knabel.

Pat describes the TRK community as friendly and welcoming. For others who might be interested in joining the community, the time commitment is flexible. Support is needed in the kitchen for processing seasonal food, preparing and serving food for catering events, working in the local TRK garden, and supporting other events throughout the year.

“Taproot Kitchen is a community of amazingly diverse adults, young and old, who work together to provide hands-on training in food preparation for local catering events,” says Knabel. For more information about volunteering, to schedule a catering event, or to make a donation, visit the Taproot Kitchen website.

Help Us Grow

Taproot Kitchen depends on the support of our local community. From donations of extra food to funds that directly impact our ability to streamline our catering business, your extra help goes toward helping adults with intellectual disabilities engage in meaningful work and enter into the wider community of State College.

Taproot Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.

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