Commonwealth Kitchen Inc

TO CREATE AND GROW DYNAMIC FOOD-BASED BUSINESSES & CAREERS, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE IMPACTED BY RACIAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY.

2021 WAS A CHALLENGING YEAR FOR COMMONWEALTH KITCHEN AND OUR EXTENDED COMMUNITY OF 200+ DIVERSE FOOD BUSINESSES. THE COVID PANDEMIC WREAKED HAVOC ON EVERY FACET OF OUR OPERATIONS. WE'VE DONE OUR BEST TO PIVOT TO SUPPORT OUR DIVERSE FOOD BUSINESS COMMUNITY THROUGH EMERGENCY FOOD PRODUCTION FUNDING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, WEBINARS AND CUSTOM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING ON TOPICS INCLUDING PPP LOANS, PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT, AND ONLINE SALES, AND RESPONDING TO CHANGING NEEDS FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AS THE PANDEMIC AND FEDERAL AND STATE SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES CONTINUES. AS NEEDS HAVE SHIFTED, OUR BUSINESS LITERACY-FOCUSED PROGRAMS HAVE FOLLOWED SUIT. READY TO LAUNCH: WITH SO MANY PEOPLE STARTING INFORMAL FOOD BUSINESSES OVER THE PAST YEAR, AND NOW LOOKING FOR SUPPORT, WE'RE CURRENTLY ADAPTING OUR START-UP PROGRAMMING INTO A NEW 16-WEEK START-UP PROGRAM, AN EXTENSION OF OUR SIGNATURE FOOD BIZ 101, INTENDED FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH IN CWK'S SHARED KITCHENS. THE EXPANDED PROGRAM COVERS ALL OF THE BASICS -- FROM PERMITS TO HOW TO CREATE INVOICES, TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND PRICING. READY TO LAUNCH WILL ENSURE A STRONG START TO NEW BUSINESSES THAT LAUNCH AT COMMONWEALTH KITCHEN.NETWORK SUPPORT: WHEN STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY BECAME AVAILABLE, COMMONWEALTH KITCHEN JUMPED INTO ACTION, SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT RESOURCES AND HOSTING NUMEROUS WEBINARS IN COLLABORATION WITH LISC AND OTHERS TO GIVE ENTREPRENEURS ACCESS TO THE ANSWERS THEY NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A FOOD BUSINESS LISTSERV, PROVIDING ADVICE AND PEER NETWORKING FOR 200+ BUSINESSES. RESTAURANT RESILIENCY: THIS COVID-RECOVERY-FOCUSED PROGRAM IS LAUNCHING IN FEBRUARY 2021 AND WILL PROVIDE DEEP SUPPORT THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTANTS TO 8-10 BIPOC-OWNED RESTAURANTS ON FINANCIAL LITERACY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES. THIS PROGRAM WILL ALSO PROVIDE A NETWORK OF DEEP SUPPORT TO SMALL RESTAURANTS ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH A FACEBOOK GROUP.DESPITE THE ENORMOUS CHALLENGES OF 2020, CWK WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT OUR VITAL, BASELINE BUSINESS EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMMING, WHICH HAS BECOME ALL THE MORE CRITICAL GIVEN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC REALITIES. CWK PROVIDED A RANGE OF BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING HOSTING WEBINARS AND PROVIDING 1-ON-1 SUPPORT SERVICES TO MORE THAN 100 BUSINESSES. WE PROVIDED DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO OVER 50 BUSINESSES APPLYING FOR VARIOUS GRANTS AND LOANS, HELPING SECURE MORE THAN $2M TO SUPPORT THEIR RECOVERY EFFORTS. WE RAISED AND INVESTED ANOTHER $1M+ THROUGH OUR COMMONTABLE EMERGENCY FOOD EFFORTS TO PAY OUR HARD-HIT FOOD BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO FEED THEIR NEIGHBORS IN NEED. AS PART OF THE PROGRAM, WE PROVIDED 25+ BUSINESSES WITH TRAINING ON BULK FOOD PRODUCTION AND PROPER COOLING AND TRANSPORTATION TECHNIQUES, AND STAFF TRAINING FOR CONTACTLESS DELIVERY.