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$70,000 donation helps Placer County homeless shelter open mobile kitchen

The 53-foot mobile kitchen will help the shelter better feed its 100 guests on site, since the building currently doesn’t have a kitchen.

AUBURN, California — Thanks to an anonymous donation, a Placer County shelter will be better able to provide meals to the community's homeless.

The $70,000 donation to The Gathering Inn, a temporary homeless shelter in North Auburn, will allow the organization to open a mobile food kitchen.

The 53-foot mobile kitchen will help the shelter better feed its 100 guests on site. The building currently doesn’t have a kitchen.

“This will make a huge difference for our guests,” said Keith Diederich, CEO of The Gathering Inn. “We are grateful to the donor for their generosity, along with the many community partners who have done work on the kitchen,” he added. 

The mobile kitchen features two double convection ovens, a griddle, stock pot range, six burner stove and many other kitchen supplies, some of which were donated by community partners.

Credit: ABC10/KXTV
A $70,000 donation to The Gathering Inn, a temporary homeless shelter in North Auburn, will allow the organization to open a mobile food facility.

Previously, the shelter relied on community organizations to prepare food in their own facilities. Diedrich said the kitchen will also help improve food quality and reduce costs because meals will not need to be cooked and transported from other locations. 

“This will also provide an opportunity for shelter guests to engage in workforce training related to food services,” he said.

Currently, 600 men, women, and children are homeless in Placer County on a given night, according to county documents. While it’s a lower rate of homelessness compared to other counties across the state, county officials said even one is too many. Officials are thankful for the Placer County community coming together and donating money and supplies for the mobile kitchen.

The mobile kitchen grand opening is Wednesday Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. at 11442 E. Avenue in  Auburn.

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