A Message Befitting the Season

In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Carole Clark, formerly the chef/owner of The Charleston at 517 Warren Street, organized Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, today known simply as Columbia Kitchen. In 2022, her work in founding CCRK brought her national recognition as one of a hundred "Super Amazing (Supportive, Surprising, Creative, Compassionate, Never-Not-There-When-You-Need-Them) Neighbors." Today Clark, who is stepping down from her role with the organization she created five years, shares these thoughts with Columbia Kitchen's allies and supporters.

A Reflection and Thanks

As the end of 2025 is approaching and this is the season of reflection and thanks, I want to share my profound gratitude for the Columbia County community and its commitment to the people whom Columbia Kitchen has had the opportunity to serve.

When the COVID pandemic began in 2020, there was tremendous concern for the families and individuals who would be severely impacted. This compelled me into immediate action, using my knowledge, experience, contacts, and energy to create an organization that supported people experiencing food insecurity, those underserved communities lacking reliable access to healthy food during the pandemic.

My idea deeply resonated with friends, family, former colleagues, farmers, and strangers looking to make an impact during this trying time. In just weeks, our group, then named Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, had a small kitchen in Hudson and a cadre of volunteers ready to do whatever was needed to make this happen.

Now, with a new large kitchen, even more volunteers plus a staff, over 2,400 healthy meals are cooked and delivered each week. A new culture emerged from this, friends and neighbors with shared values and great generosity wanting to make a difference, continue to volunteer their time and expertise.

I want to thank everyone, numbering over 200 volunteers and farmers, who through the years have enabled CK to help put food on the table for those in need.

After five years I am stepping back, confident that new leadership guided by the executive director, Joan Koweek, will provide a bulwark against suffering due to food insecurity. It has been an honor to have had the privilege of receiving the ongoing support of people dedicated to the achievement of my vision. What began as a response to a specific crisis has morphed into recognition that widespread food insecurity preceded the COVID pandemic and it still continues to be a threat to the health and well-being of vulnerable residents. Fueled by compassion and dedication, CK has had a transformative effect on both volunteers as well as recipients. May the spirit and shared values of Columbia Kitchen prevail!

Carole Clark