‘The F.U.N. Kitchen’: Vegan, plant-based mostly foodstuff company seems to uplift local community in Kensington

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Kensington portion of Philadelphia is what is known as a food desert: a place in which citizens cannot obtain clean foods in their neighborhood.

Although Philadelphia’s meals insecurity price ranks over 20% general as a whole, North Philadelphia and Kensington prices are additional than 30%, according to a Feeding The us examine.

Found in close proximity to Kensington and Lehigh avenues in a whole lot-room at 2713 Kensington Avenue, one particular neighborhood-centered corporation aims to boost nutritious foodstuff access in a enjoyable way for all.

“The passion at the rear of The F.U.N. Kitchen area was getting to be vegan myself and realizing I couldn’t just walk to the store to get something to consume anymore,” explained Rai Lewis, who is the founder and vegan chef of The F.U.N. Kitchen.

This vegan and plant-primarily based food stuff enterprise is on a mission to make obtain to vegan-based mostly meals in Philadelphia’s most difficult-strike foods desert places.

F.U.N. stands for: Feasible, Easy to understand, and Nourishing, which is derived from the capability to make balanced having a portion of everyday lifestyle.

“Sometimes, when I glimpse all-around, it is really heartbreaking. A whole lot of our discrepancies in how we live, how we deal with ourselves, and how we like every other arrive from us remaining healthier,” stated Lewis. “Not just staying healthy in the feeling of food stuff.”

Lewis suggests when she appears all around foods desert parts like Kensington and North Philadelphia, there aren’t several areas to eat a healthy food, study a ebook at a bookstore, or have a regular discussion with folks.

“I’m transferring that energy into The F.U.N. Kitchen to develop just that. A spot exactly where men and women can come to have exciting, they can take in healthily, and take pleasure in every other’s corporation,” Lewis extra. “Just becoming among issues that have not automatically been the way of existence in advance of, but carrying it into a way of even larger and greater existence ahead.”

Lewis and her team lately released a crowdfunding marketing campaign to increase their purpose of $15,000 for their vision encompassing a 1,000 square foot outside vegan café and local community yard in Kensington.

The raised money go toward the revitalization and design of this prepared endlessly house, and to immediately be a resource for these who will need it most.

“It is an instructional back garden and neighborhood-managed back garden. The place people today can come and expand the seeds and seed them through,” said Lewis. “It can be not just ‘here’s your vegan burgers or here is your vegan food items.’ But also, in which the food arrives from and various approaches to include it into your each day meal plans.”

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