A values conflict cost them a kitchen, now they have a new place to make kids’ meals
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The Opportunity Council will move its child-meal preparations this year to a new kitchen being built in the former Illuminati Brewing space in the Irongate Business Park.
A little more than seven months ago, the Opportunity Council canceled its decades-long kitchen lease with The Firs after the organization fired a Bellingham teenager in early June over his sexual orientation. The Firs’ actions didn’t align with the Opportunity Council’s values, as well as non-discrimination clauses in the federal and state contracts that fund its programs. The Opportunity Council called the decision to end the contract a “live-your values-moment” and set out to find a new space.
Opportunity Council staff produce breakfast, lunch and snacks daily during the school year for around 500 children, according to David Webster, the director of Early Learning and Family Services. Staff takes the prepared food to sites in Bellingham, Lynden and Kendall for children in Head Start and Early Childhood Assistance and Education preschools. The nonprofit is looking to expand options throughout the county, he said.
Webster said they hope to have the space operational by mid-May at the latest. The council has been working with Bellingham and Lynden school districts during the kitchen transition, Webster said.
“We still believe in our principled decision to leave The Firs and strike out on our own, despite the increased costs,” Webster said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald. “It will combine all our current production into one space, but give us some room for growth.”
The new space, at 3950 Hammer Drive, was announced on Dec. 16. Webster said the Opportunity Council will only be in part of the space Illuminati Brewing used to occupy.
The new space is about $500 more a month than their previous location, Webster said, adding that relocation and remodeling will cost a little more than $200,000.
The space was not designed as a commercial kitchen so the remodel has included plumbing, installing grease traps and industrial-sized exhaust hood coverings over the cooking spaces, as well as adding a walk-in cooler and freezer and making sure food preparation areas are segregated, he said.
After Opportunity Council’s announcement to end its more than 25-year-old contract with The Firs, the nonprofit asked for community donations to help cover the cost of relocation. Webster said as of mid-January, the campaign had raised more than $100,000, and Opportunity Council also received a grant from the Office of Head Start to buy some kitchen equipment. He said while the nonprofit isn’t quite “out of the woods” in terms of needs, he feels like things are going well.
“While it has taken a little longer than we hoped, we felt very supported by the community,” Webster said. “We will end up in a space that will better meet our needs for the long haul.”
