Bringing From-Scratch, Locally Sourced Meals to West Virginia’s Children and Communities
In 2019, Healthy Kids Inc., in partnership with KEYS 4 HealthyKids and the Benedum Foundation, embarked on a bold mission to transform how meals are prepared and served in childcare centers across West Virginia. With input from childcare directors, statewide nonprofits, funders, and the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Child Nutrition, we launched the Central Kitchen Food Project—the first of its kind in the state to prepare nutrient-dense, from-scratch meals using locally grown ingredients.
The project began with a simple yet powerful goal: to alleviate the burden childcare centers face in providing healthier meals to children while fostering a love for real food and regional agriculture.
From Vision to Reality
In 2021, Healthy Kids Inc. brought this vision to life by launching West Virginia’s first Central Kitchen Food Project in a newly constructed commercial kitchen in Morgantown. The kitchen, made possible by the Monongalia County Commission, quickly became the heartbeat of our mission to create healthier, locally sourced meals for children and communities.
In 2024, we expanded with a second Central Kitchen in Huntington, WV, located in the Mountwest Culinary School. This exciting collaboration not only brought our from-scratch approach to more communities but also allowed us to mentor and hire student chefs passionate about transforming the future of food.
Our Commitment to Real Food
We believe in the power of real food to nourish bodies, inspire change, and build stronger communities. Our Central Kitchens embody this commitment by:
Frequently Asked Questions
What began as a solution for childcare centers has grown into a model for improving food and health in a variety of settings. Today, our Central Kitchens prepare meals for:
- Childcare Centers and Head Start Programs
- Private Schools K-12
- Summer Camps
- Local Recovery and Detox Facilities
- Community Partners
We currently operate Central Kitchens in Monongalia County (Morgantown, WV) and Cabell County (Huntington, WV). Each kitchen serves hot meals within a 1-2 hour radius of its location. We take great care to ensure that food is kept at the proper holding temperature during transport. Additionally, through our newly launched Pivot Meals, our manufacturing kitchen produces frozen meals, enabling us to serve even more parts of the state.
We prepare and deliver meals in bulk (in containers such as hotel pans) to support our childcare centers in following the CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) best practices for family-style dining. This approach has been proven to offer many developmental, social, and nutritional benefits for preschoolers and fosters a positive mealtime environment.
Yes, that was a key part of our mission: to ensure these meals could qualify as reimbursable under CACFP and SFSP guidelines. Our team has spent considerable time honing the intricacies of meeting these requirements in a from-scratch kitchen. In addition, we have a dedicated operations team that prepares daily production reports to support the claims processing paperwork for schools and childcare centers.
Please reach out to Mandy Curry for more information. Mandy can be reached at: mandy@healthykidsinc.com