TRURO — Ten people chat and chop with oldies blasting from a hidden speaker in the basement kitchen of the Christian Union Church. It’s the Monday morning before Thanksgiving, and coordinator Steve Higgins is carving one of the 16 turkeys he roasted in two days as the other volunteers construct pyramids of carrots and butternut squash, pile potatoes in buckets, and mix onions and celery for apple fennel stuffing.
This is the Truro Community Kitchen in action. In the more than four years since its founding in April 2020, the kitchen has not missed a single week of delivering home-cooked meals to neighbors on Tuesdays — and holidays are no exception.
“Whatever’s needed, we come in and cook away,” said volunteer Kathleen Delohery, who lives in Wellfleet.
“Everyone is focused on getting the meal out,” added volunteer Denise Mullen, who got involved with the kitchen after she moved to Truro in 2021.
This year, the Thanksgiving menu includes a classic turkey dinner plus pumpkin pie from the Centerville Pie Co. and some extras to counter the post-holiday letdown: a stuffing sandwich with cranberry mayo, and a bagel with cream cheese from Bagel Hound.
Apart from the donated items, the main ingredients for this meal came from the Lower Cape Outreach Council, which stocks up from the Greater Boston Food Bank. Higgins picked them up earlier this week. “It’s the only time of year we get food directly from them,” said kitchen co-founder David Sobel.
Normally, the Community Kitchen purchases its ingredients with funds from donations and its annual virtual auction of items donated by local businesses and artists, which is running online now through Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.
More than 50 volunteers keep the operation going year-round. They work in the kitchen, deliver meals on five routes, and wash reusable meal containers in the commercial dishwasher at Truro Central School.
At the height of the pandemic, when the kitchen was first launched, the group served 180 meals per week. Between 2021 and early 2024, that number ranged from 95 to 110 meals, but this summer it crept up to about 140 meals per week, said co-founder Wendy Lurie.
Many volunteers say their involvement has revealed to them the scope of food insecurity and social isolation in Truro. When co-founder Eli Sobel gets a call, text, or email from someone in the community, all that is asked is “Where do you live and how many people?” Proof of need is not required.
“It removes the emotional barrier that some people may experience, whether it’s pride or privacy or wondering whether or not their need is legitimate,” said Sobel.
“We feel very strongly that we should not be the arbiters of who needs something or who doesn’t,” added Lurie.
This has been part of the kitchen’s model from the beginning, and it allows people to benefit whether they are experiencing financial strain, recovering from an illness or surgery, or just need a break from caretaking or parenting.
“It gives them relief that at least one night a week they don’t have to cook, they get a healthy meal, and have social interaction,” said volunteer Carol Bishop of Truro, who also serves on the nonprofit’s board.
“People just feel like someone knows they are there,” added volunteer Eliza McFeely of Truro.
Truro
Truro Community Kitchen
To sign up for meals with no questions asked: call or text Eli Sobel at 973-868-7526 or write to [email protected]. Allergies and dietary restrictions are accommodated. To donate or volunteer, visit trurocommunitykitchen.com.
Truro Food Pantry
Open to Truro residents Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon and by appointment. Community Center, 7 Standish Way. For more information or to sign up, call 617-515-4342 or write [email protected].
Editor’s note: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article, published in print on Nov. 28, referred to Community Kitchen co-founder Eli Sobel as “he” instead of “they.”
