Photo courtesy of roneet edrich
When Chani Ezagui’s father was diagnosed with an illness in 1987, she was genuinely humbled by the outpouring of support shown toward her family.
“The hospital [where he was a patient] was set up with a kitchen that provided kosher food, which we observe, and it was constantly filled with tasty homemade food from organizations throughout New York,” she remembers. “We were the recipients of people’s kindness.”
Ezagui, 60, points out that when she was growing up in Brooklyn, her home was always open to the less fortunate.
“Each Sabbath, our home was filled with guests who had no family. My parents never said no. Opening our table to others made a huge impact on my life.”
These acts of kindness inspired Ezagui to pay it forward in South Florida.
“In 1987, living in a small, close-knit Palm Beach community, we did the same; we were there for each other,” she shares. However, as the years passed, Ezagui realized that more of her neighbors needed the community’s help, as organizations, hospitals and hospices who had learned she provided meals for families in need began contacting her. That’s when a volunteer chose the official name, The Kind Kitchen, to reflect the organization’s work, and the nonprofit expanded.
The simple yet profound intention of The Kind Kitchen is to fill empty plates with kindness and love quietly and respectfully, founder Ezagui says. Those in need — the underprivileged, disabled, homebound, veterans, Holocaust survivors and anyone facing hardship from Delray Beach to Tequesta — are welcome to enjoy warm, nourishing, kosher meals bagged and delivered by volunteers for the North Palm Beach-based nonprofit.
Ezagui and volunteers — more than 7,000 annually — deliver thousands of meals a year.
“Someone receiving food shouldn’t feel bad — it should be packed nicely and with care,” Ezagui explains. “Everything in the bag needs to look like it came from a high-quality takeout restaurant, complete with a menu and a card with encouraging words, which we change weekly.”
The Kind Kitchen keeps administrative costs to a minimum, with 90% of all donations and revenue going directly to feeding people. The organization’s reputation has spread through personal connections, reflecting the passion of those who support it.
“We operate by word of mouth, and our team of passionate volunteers and sponsors is what makes this organization truly unique,” says Ezagui.
For more information or to support The Kind Kitchen, call 561-788-3390 or visit thekindkitchen.org.