Culinary Services
What We Offer
Dining Program
On a typical day 400 to 600 people visit the Franciscan Center to enjoy a healthy prepared meal created form fresh ingredients. In 2019 we served over 130,000 meals. This year, we have provided over 200,000 meals since the onset of the COVID epidemic, alone! [Inside “Clare’s Kitchen” the culinary team provides a nutritious meal M-F and on Tues, Wed night.
Pantry Bags
In addition to the prepared food we serve through our dining program, we provide pantry bags to members of the community on an as-needed basis and fresh produce at regularly scheduled intervals.
These bags are designed to provide three full meals for three people for three days, supplementing the food budget for people with limited resources for groceries. As part of our focus on healthy meals, we have begun sourcing more whole grains, lower-sodium canned foods, and fewer products with sugar added. We have also been able to include fresh vegetables in season, and eggs and milk as they are available to us.
We partner with the Maryland Food Bank to serve as an access point for bi-monthly no-cost produce distribution.
Community Food Partners
Our work is not possible without the nourishing ingredients we obtain through generous partners including those listed below.
- Agrimex Product
- Compass/Bank of America
- Costco
- Eddie’s of Roland Park
- First Fruits Farm
- Giant Food Stores
- Graul’s Market
- Hungry Harvest
- Little Portion Farm
- Maryland Food Bank
- MOM’s Organic Market
- The 6th Branch
- Wegman’s Food Markets
- Whole Foods
Dignity Plates
We all eat with our eyes.
The Culinary Team believes that our effort to create beautiful plates helps convey our recognition of the inherent dignity of each person who receives our food.