Clearwater nonprofit reopens renovated kitchen and dining hall

Homeless Empowerment Program reopens kitchen doors

The Homeless Empowerment Program is reopening its kitchen doors to help serve the community in Clearwater after some much needed renovations. Fox 13's Kailey Tracy report.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Homeless Empowerment Program in Clearwater held a ribbon cutting for its renovated kitchen and dining hall Wednesday morning.

 Ashley Lowery, HEP’s President and CEO, said the dining room feels more like a restaurant with a family, community feel.

What they're saying:

"We're absolutely thrilled with our new space," Ashley Lowery, HEP’s President and CEO, said. "HEP takes a lot of pride in the housing we provide, the services we provide. We don't look like what you think a homeless shelter would look like, and now our kitchen and dining hall matches that feel. It's all about giving our residents a sense of dignity and a peaceful place to dine and come together and kind of settle while they get things back in order and get their lives back on track," she said.

HEP Marketing Manager, Madeline Stone, says it feels good to be back in the space before the holidays.

"We started renovations in the beginning of the summer, so we've been out of commission in our dining hall for quite some time now, and so, being here back in this space before the holidays feels wonderful," Stone said. "We can have people congregate in the dining hall, get that sense of community and family, especially right before the holidays."

By the numbers:

HEP serves about 41,000 meals every year, and Stone says they’ll serve even more this year. Many of their clients rely on SNAP benefits and were affected by the government shutdown.

"Several of our units on campus have their own kitchens in their apartments. So, a lot of people were utilizing SNAP benefits to cook their meals for them and their families. So, ultimately, we needed to provide food baskets and then also increase the number of meals we were serving," Stone said.

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Dig deeper:

Lowery said they’ve also stepped up, like several nonprofits in the area, to find ways to help the community in the wake of the government shutdown.

"We've seen a huge number of families calling specifically who are asking for help, especially over the holiday season where everything is so food-centric and that's really how families gather. So, we're really proud that we've been able to step up and help serve the community this year. We've partnered with a lot of Title I schools in the area and have provided meals to families there," Lowery said.

Stone and Lowery said they also rely on their supporters in the community.

HEP also had a drive-thru turkey giveaway Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving. The nonprofit handed out 250 free turkeys to Clearwater residents in need at its main campus on North Betty Lane in Clearwater.

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