Reconciliation Services

On September 11 at 6 p.m., we’re teaming up with our friends at Kanbe's Markets to host an Ugly Dinner in honor of Hunger Action Month!

In order to shine a spotlight on hunger and food insecurity in our city, Chef Natasha Bailey has crafted a superb five-course menu utilizing “ugly” produce provided by Kanbe’s, and Beam Suntory will create the perfect drinks to pair with each item on your plate. By purchasing a ticket and participating in the event, you will be taking meaningful action against city-wide hunger, AND taste delicious food. Learn more details and register by visiting https://kanbes.givevirtuous.org/Event/2024-ugly-dinner-series-presents-thelmas-kitchen.

Today we're throwing it back to last year's Hike for Reconciliation - what was your favorite memory from the day?

Just like last year, this year's hike will feature six stops with historical panels (newly updated and redesigned!), delicious lunch from Thelma's Kitchen, and fall-themed family fun activities afterward. Sign up or make a donation at the link in our bio!

GREAT NEWS — our Hike for Reconciliation 2024 registration page is now up and running! Visit rshike.org today to get your tickets, learn more about the hike, or to make a donation. You can also visit the link in our bio! We can’t wait to see you on October 5.

One month ago we unveiled our new space at 3101 Troost for the world to see, and we’ve loved welcoming every guest since! What’s your favorite part of our renovated building?!

Thank you, Spire! 🧡

We want to take a minute to highlight one of our amazing KC community partners — Spire.

Support from Spire helped RS relaunch Thelma’s Kitchen and welcome neighbors back to the cafe for the first time in 2 years. In just two weeks, Spire’s gift helped us to:
- Serve 1,300+ meals to neighbors
- Engage 198 individual volunteers and 54 volunteers from corporate groups to serve more than 420 volunteer hours in Thelma’s Kitchen
- Connect neighbors visiting Thelma’s Kitchen with vital utilities assistance through our REVEAL Program

Because of partners like Spire, we’re reminded that we can accomplish so much more TOGETHER.

Yesterday one of our therapists, Jamie, celebrated two of her clients who graduated from Pawsperity's dog grooming training program! Jamie has spent more than six months partnering with Pawsperity and supporting students with trauma therapy as they learn hands-on dog grooming and participate in a soft skills group.

Jamie said that she has watched her clients, Karla (photo 1) and Alexis (photo 2), achieve both life goals and therapeutic goals in the six months they've been working together:

"I've seen them both begin to thrive more and gain more confidence in themselves," Jamie said. "They both have plans for employment post graduation and plan to continue receiving support from RS while they transition."

Congratulations, Karla and Alexis! Everyone at RS is rooting for you 👏

Being in our new Cafe space feels GOOD -- come visit us soon!

There are three new faces added to the mix at RS this month! Meet Justice and Natalie, two Trained Care Professionals joining the REVEAL team, and Torre Diamond, our new receptionist!

SAVE THE DATE — We’re thrilled to announce our second-annual Hike for Reconciliation on October 5!

We hope you’ll join us at 10 a.m. for a 3.1-mile long urban hike along the Troost Corridor where we will reflect on our shared history and commit to reconciliation and building community together. Following the hike, we will have a delicious lunch courtesy of Chef Natasha Bailey and Thelma’s Kitchen, as well as fun fall activities for the whole family.

Keep your eyes peeled for an event webpage and RSVP link coming soon!

The season of new and exciting changes at RS continues — we are hiring a Chief Operating Officer!

The COO reports to the CEO and leads the internal daily planning, implementation, management and oversight of the organization. This position is responsible for the consistent implementation and achievement of the organization’s mission and financial objectives. The COO will directly supervise the leadership team comprised of the organizational Directors of Reconciliation Services (Directors) and will serve a variety of roles and responsibilities when critical positions are vacant. Visit www.rs3101.org/careers for more information.

*NOTE: We will be reviewing applicants throughout the month of August with the intent to begin interviews in September.

Sharing some more photos from our Grand Reopening celebration because we STILL aren’t over it!

Big thank you to our incredible team of vendors who made the day extra special:
Event coordinator: .xp
DJ: DJ Jam
Coffee:
Pastries:
Photographer (but not of these photos):

We want to give a HUGE shoutout to one of our amazing community partners, Smithfield Foods. In addition to donating meat for the week of our Grand Reopening menu, Smithfield helped us kickstart the cafe reopening with an incredible $50,000 gift, in addition to a great volunteer crew.

“At Smithfield, hunger relief is one of our top priorities and we’re committed to doing our part to fight food insecurity in our local communities,” said Steve Evans, vice president of community development for Smithfield Foods. “Through the incredible work of Thelma’s Kitchen, we can help ensure that no one goes hungry while fostering a culture of respect for the neighbors being served.”

Thank you, Smithfield, for your partnership and generosity!

The Kansas City Star talked to Chef Natasha and Fr. Justin about Thelma's Kitchen and our new pay-it-forward model! Check it out:

Kansas City restaurant closed amid COVID. It’s finally open again, with a mission This week’s menu features four entrees: a hot turkey panini, a vegan sandwich, roasted meat or a chef’s salad, with side and dessert for $15. And if you can’t afford it, don’t worry.

On behalf of all of our staff and volunteers with Reconciliation Services and Thelma’s Kitchen — THANK YOU!

We couldn’t have imagined yesterday going any better. It was a deeply joyful celebration of our history, co-laboring with the community during this building’s renovation, and all the reconciliation and healing to come. We didn’t realize how much we had missed seeing all of your faces until you were there right in front of us, and we can’t wait to continue to visit with you all over the coming weeks and months.

Shoutout to Jason Domingues Photography for these stellar photos!

It’s time to reopen.

SEE YOU AT 9 A.M.!!

Two years of fundraising, 30 months of renovations, and weeks and weeks of preparing — the time has finally come. We’re over the moon to welcome you back to Reconciliation Services & Thelma’s Kitchen TOMORROW AT 9 A.M.!

Thelma's Kitchen is Kansas City's first pay-it-forward cafe. Learn more about it here!

Did you hear Chef Natasha & Fr. Justin on Up To Date yesterday? Thanks to KCUR 89.3 for having us in to get people excited about our Grand Reopening on Monday! It's not too late to RSVP: https://www.addevent.com/event/RL21872891

Thelma's Kitchen, Kansas City's first pay-it-forward cafe, reopens on Troost Avenue Thelma’s Kitchen and Reconciliation Services will be reopening on 31st and Troost Avenue next week after being closed for more than two years of renovations. The cafe, which serves healthy comfort food, operates on a pay-what-you-can donation model to help feed the community.

You don't want to miss this Grand Reopening menu at Thelma's Kitchen! 🤤

We’re ONE WEEK AWAY from our Grand Reopening Celebration! This day has been in the works for nearly three years, and it’s surreal to think about welcoming you into our new space so soon.

If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, please do so now! The link is in our bio.

If you have already RSVP’d, please pre-register for your self-guided tour! This link is also in our bio.

Finally, swipe to the next slide for our parking guide for 7/22. Parking is limited, so please carpool if you can!

SEE YOU SOON, NEIGHBORS!

Way to go, Thelma's Kitchen! 👏👏

Last month we wrapped up our first-ever culinary cohort at Thelma’s Kitchen. For the past three months, six students met in the kitchen twice a week to get comprehensive culinary training from our chefs. We maintained 100% retention – which is unheard of for a workforce development program like this – and our participants had nothing but glowing reviews.

Bethany, one of our cohort students, has hopes of becoming a food entrepreneur: “[After this program] I’m going to take my more refined creativity and more confidence in my ability to execute my ideas.”

Rashaude, another cohort member, said that his experience in the group has done nothing but increase his desire to spend more time in the kitchen cooking. Plus, those three months spent with his new friends and colleagues served to boost his spirits, too: “It’s been a place of happiness. Everything is a new experience, I get to learn new different things, and get to be around people who are actually happy.”

We’re grateful for our hard-working students, the chefs who led them, and for many of YOU who have made this work possible by volunteering in and donating to Thelma’s Kitchen.

We are so honored and grateful to be chosen as Blue KC's recipient for July!Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City & The Kansas City Royals Foundation have pledged donate $30 to RS per shutout inning for each Royals game for the entire month. So if the Kansas City Royals had 100 shutout innings in July, that means RS would receive $3,000 to go towards providing social and mental health services to our neighbors along the Troost corridor!

Thank you to BCBS and the Royals Foundation for your generosity and for bringing attention to such an important topic. Let's go Royals!! ⚾💙

We’re officially TWO WEEKS away from our Grand Reopening celebration on July 22! We are overjoyed to welcome you into our renovated space and share a meal together at Thelma’s Kitchen in person for the first time since March of 2020. Please let us know you’re coming by clicking the RSVP link in our bio!

Reconciliation Services will be CLOSED tomorrow, July 4. Enjoy the holiday, and we'll see you on Friday!

We're hiring a Community Steward! This role is heavily involved in the day-to-day meeting and greeting of clients, making connections, and supporting our community. Send resumes and cover letters to [email protected] to apply today!

We're hiring a Community Steward!

You would be perfect for this unique position if you:
☑️ Love meeting and interacting with new people
☑️ Have a heart for connecting people in need with community resources
☑️ Are great at deescalating
☑️ Are highly community- and culturally-aware

Visit rs3101.org/careers to apply today!

Who's ready for Thelma's Kitchen to be back and open for business?! We cannot wait to show you our beautiful space in less than one month. RSVP & learn more details here: https://evt.to/eadhedsaw

Troost Ave. café and community services are coming back home Thelma’s Kitchen, located at 3101 Troost Ave. in Kansas City, is named after Thelma Altschul. Thelma and her husband Father Alexii Altschul are known today for the outreach work they complete…