We are thrilled to be featuring The Prospect KC in this month’s Community Minute. The Prospect KC is a social enterprise supporting communities suffering from food apartheid with improved food access, nutrition education, culinary job training and entrepreneurship. Their goal is to serve 150 women, 215 youth, 80 unhoused and 150 housed but impoverished students and serve at least a million meals by 2025.
Initiatives –
The Prospect KC stands for social equality across all things food.
The Spot — a café, sustainably sourced coffeeshop and fresh grocer — operating under The Prospect KC umbrella, The Spot is designed to be a community space filled with delicious fresh foods prepared throughout the day by Prospects, shared at community tables overflowing with dishes designed to nourish body and soul. The Prospect KC is for social equality, across all things food, culinary education and culinary access.
The Prospect KC sees their future space filled with laughter and delicious food that’s been cooked together by hand or heart: hearth kitchens teaching skills, taste buds dancing over each bite shared at communal tables, overflowing with dishes made fresh throughout the day.
Their Space –
Housed in Kansas City’s first public works building abandoned since the 1970s, NPR describes it as “limestone ruins straight out of Medieval Europe.” The Prospect KC breathes new life into the reinvigorated and repurposed space at 2000 Vine Street, located in the historic 18th & Vine Jazz District.
Located within The Prospect KC is The Prospect Urban Eatery, a 1,200-square-foot culinary space featuring a kitchen, community café, coffeeshop and fresh grocer. Adjacent space includes Kansas City’s first Black-owned brewery, Vine Street Brewing Co., the Warren Harvey Art Gallery, event spaces and workspace for businesses such as BLC Firm and Phronesis.
16-Week Culinary Training Program –
The Prospect KC’s applied training model means students (Prospects) learn on the job skills they can immediately put to the test at The Spot. In addition to learning knife skills, food preparation, food safety and business entrepreneurship as a part of their hands-on training, Prospects also learn interpersonal skills and stress management, while supported by a case manager able to navigate access to wrap-around social services (including SNAP, childcare and more). Such support translates into stronger individuals, families, and communities.
Donate –
The Prospects are the community they serve. When you make a tax-deductible contribution, you not only help to provide sustenance for the table, you also provide opportunities through their many programs and support the services that can help Prospects work their way out of poverty one day at a time.
Volunteer –
Volunteers are essential to the success of The Prospect KC. From individuals to corporations, each volunteer hour helps execute their mission and repair a sense of community.
Whether volunteers want hands-on experience like gardening or to interact and help in the commercial kitchen, they have something that will fit your interests!
Your support is essential to community growth.
To learn more, donate or volunteer, please visit TheProspectKC.org.