A $1 million grant awarded to University of Maryland Shore Regional Health (UM SRH) by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will be dedicated to the “Four Eleven Kitchen” facility in the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s Packing House project now nearing completion in Cambridge. The initiative is a strong complement to UM SRH’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
The grant funds, which will be distributed over a two-year period, are designated to support the creation of the 9,000 square foot commercial kitchen that will support local small businesses, food entrepreneurs and farmers, and serve as a site for culinary and nutritional education programs. UM SRH also donated all of its commercial appliances that were formerly used in the kitchen at the UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester hospital, which was closed in late September 2021 when the new freestanding medical facility, UM Shore Regional Health at Cambridge, opened for patient care.
Photo: Shown in front of the entrance to the Four Eleven Kitchen, now nearing completion in the Packing House project in Cambridge, are Arvin Singh, Vice President for Strategy and Communications at UM SRH; Amanda Kidd, founder and owner of the 411 Kitchen; and Michael White, Consultant, Cross Street Partners.
“Four Eleven Kitchen is thrilled to be the recipient of both financial support and commercial appliances from Shore Regional Health, which will further our mission to break barriers that prevent consistent access to healthy foods, education and economic advancement, and also to add value back to the quality of life of this community,” said Amanda Kidd, Founder and Owner of Four Eleven Kitchen. “My dream to empower and elevate our food community appears to be coming true through the vision and continued support of the Packing House developers, funders, shared–use kitchen members, volunteers and community partnerships.”
“Food security, nutrition, job creation and community engagement are all key components in advancing population health, which is a major priority for Shore Regional Health,” said Ken Kozel, President and CEO of UM Shore Regional Health. “The Four Eleven Kitchen will lower the barriers to entry for food entrepreneurs and provide a venue for Dorchester-based producers to co-locate, share costs, test products, and conduct workforce development/training and nutritional education programs. It will also serve as to create jobs in food production, processing, distribution and marketing of locally sourced value-added food while enhancing access to fresh healthy food for consumers.”
About University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,200 employees, medical staff, board members and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
About the University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is a university-based regional health care system focused on serving the health care needs of Maryland, bringing innovation, discovery and research to the care we provide and educating the state’s future physician and health care professionals through our partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland, Baltimore professional schools (Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work and Dentistry) in Baltimore. As one of the largest private employers in the State, the health system’s more than 29,500 employees and 4,000 affiliated physicians provide primary and specialty care in more than 150 locations, including 13 hospitals and 9 University of Maryland Urgent Care centers. The UMMS flagship academic campus, the University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, is recognized regionally and nationally for excellence and innovation in specialized care. Our acute care and specialty rehabilitation hospitals serve urban, suburban and rural communities and are located in 13 counties across the State. For more information, visit www.umms.org.
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