The Pittsburgh Foundation
Stories

Small and Mighty: Rainbow Kitchen Community Services

Rainbow Kitchen Community Services provides a vital safety net for low-income individuals and those experiencing homelessness in Homestead and surrounding communities.

The Pittsburgh Foundation awarded Small and Mighty grants of $15,000 to Rainbow Kitchen Community Services in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Founded in 1984, Rainbow Kitchen Community Services provides a vital safety net for low-income individuals and those experiencing homelessness in Homestead and surrounding communities.

In 2016, Rainbow Kitchen served 1,030 individuals, distributing more than 366,000 pounds of supplemental food and produce through its anti-hunger programs. The organization helps individuals achieve self-sufficiency and works closely with the local magistrate's office to provide court-ordered community service for young people charged with misdemeanor offenses.

The grants benefit the organization’s Anti-Hunger Program which serves low-income residents from six neighborhoods, providing at least a five-day supply of supplemental groceries, as well as toiletries, paper products and diapers.

The Small and Mighty grants program, an outcome of the Foundation’s 100 Percent Pittsburgh organizing principle, has, as of Dec. 2019, awarded $1.25 million to nonprofit organizations with budgets of less than $600,000.

Rainbow Kitchen Community Services has an annual operating budget of $445,941.

To learn more about Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, visit http://www.rainbowkitchen.org/

Read about the Small and Mighty initiative