Frequently Asked Questions

We have secured a long-term lease on a space in Soquel that we will modify to build a headquarters for the organization. The campus will include a production kitchen and offices for our staff. The space is currently 4,200 square feet but will be increased to 5,200 square feet when complete. The kitchen will be the first of it’s kind all-electric kitchen powered by solar panels with back up batteries that will reduce reliance on the electrical grid during peak use hours. In addition, the batteries can supply power for TKP to continue prepare and safely hold meals during a power outage for up to three days. Teen Kitchen Project is registered with Santa Cruz County as food provider in case of emergencies, and TKP’s kitchens stepped up after the fires in 2020 to support neighbors in need of food support. Having a reliable kitchen we can access at any time ensure we can be there when called upon to provide food support in an emergency.

•  Need and demand has exploded.We have dozens of new application for services each week and want to be able to serve as many clients and teens as possible.
•  Maxed out on space. The potential instability of our current lease environment presents significant risk to TKP as an organization. Although we have invested over $60,000 in tenant improvements to our current space, no more adjustments can be made to increase space. 
•  Medi-Cal eligibility = ability to serve more clients. California’s Medi-Cal health plans can now offer and pay for meals and nutritional counseling services like Teen Kitchen Project provides. Providing Medi-Cal members healthy meals and nutritional support, and then getting reimbursed for this service offers a sustainable source of funding to help many more people who need our services.
•  Teen Kitchen Project is the only nonprofit in Santa Cruz County that prepares and delivers freshly prepared medically tailored meals.

•  Serve three times as many clients– that means at least 2,700 clients and their families receiving healthy meals and nutritional counseling sessions each year once our kitchen is fully operational in 2025.
•  At least 50% more youth benefitting from participating in our program- learning how to cook healthy food while gaining lifelong skills and making a difference in the lives of others.
•  All of our staff under one roof. At one location we can better support one another as well as daily operations such as meal production.

In Soquel, near the intersection of 41st Avenue and Soquel Drive.

• A 10 minute walk from Soquel High School, within 5-minute drive of Harbor High School, and 15 minute drive from Aptos  and Santa Cruz High School.
•  Central for delivery, close to Highway 1 and Soquel Drive.

$1.8 million, including $785,000 already raised through state and foundation grants. We will need to raise $1,015,000 for this project.

Teen Kitchen Project signed the lease in December 2023,  and hope to submit plans for review in March. After plan review, we hope to start building in the summer, with move in slated for Fall 2024.