History

1992: Year of Firsts

Three visionary First Angels—Tony D’Agostino, Anna Huserik, and Aleise Sargent—establish Kitchen Angels in April. On June 1, Kitchen Angels volunteers prepare, pack, and deliver the first meals from the Westminster Presbyterian Church kitchen. On September 27 the first fundraiser, The Power of Miracles, is held with Marianne Willamson, Marsha Mason, and Joyce Dewitt.

Left: First Angels, 1992: Artemes Turchi, Treasurer; Tanya Taylor, Volunteer Coordinator; and Tony D’Agostino, Program Director & Co-Founder

In October, the Frost Foundation awards our first large grant. The first year ends with an Angel Art and Fantasy Auction fundraiser at Santuario de Guadalupe. Within the first six months of year one, 2,000 meals are delivered to 80 clients.

1995: Location Change

Kitchen Angels moves to the old National Guard Armory.

1996: Major Milestone

Kitchen Angels volunteers prepare and deliver our 50,000th meal.

1997: Organic Food

Kitchen Angels partners with Beneficial Farms, a community supported agriculture project producing organic food, which allows us to provide nutrient-rich and pesticide-free meals to clients. Beneficial Farms uses our kitchen trimmings as compost for future crops.

Right: Tony McCarty, Kitchen Angels Executive Director with Billie Blair of the Santa Fe Community Foundation

1998: Ensuring Our Future

A Kitchen Angels Endowment Fund is established at the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

1999: Weekend Meals

Our Frozen Meal Program is initiated, providing weekend meals to those who might otherwise go without and making meals available to those outside our daily delivery area. In the first month of this new service, 114 meals are delivered to clients.

2000: Seasons of Santa Fe Cookbook

Kitchen Angles publishes its first cookbook, Seasons of Santa Fe, and delivers our 100,000th meal. We expand our Frozen Meal Program into more rural areas of Northern New Mexico and over 4,000 meals are distributed to clients.

2001: Another Location Change

Working to end hunger in Northern New Mexico, Kitchen Angels partners with The Food Depot and Feeding Santa Fe, Inc. We move to our new offices and kitchen in the Coll-Green Angel Depot at 1222 Siler Road.

2002: Our 10th Anniversary

At year 10, Kitchen Angels has provided meals to more than 1,500 clients. We continue the expansion of our Frozen Meal Program into Taos, Los Alamos, Espanola, and Pojoaque and deliver 6,000 frozen meals.

2003: Pinon Award

At the Santa Fe Community Foundation’s 17th Annual Pinon Awards, Kitchen Angels is the recipient of the Dr. Brian Moynahan Award for Health and Human Services.

2004: Health & Human Services Week

Kitchen Angels has participated in Health & Human Services Week since 2004

Vanessie of Santa Fe hosts the first annual Health & Human Services Week in Santa Fe to raise community awareness of critical health and human service needs in the community and to benchmark the community’s progress in meeting those needs. Proceeds of the week are donated to 16 organizations participating in the event.

Left: Kitchen Angels has participated in Health & Human Services Week since 2004

2005: Santa Fe Futures Award

Kitchen Angels delivers 40,000 meals to more than 200 clients and receives a Santa Fe Futures Award for addressing a serious community problem (hunger) that often is “under the radar.”

2006: Best of Santa Fe

The readers of the Santa Fe Reporter vote Kitchen Angels Best of Santa Fe for Making the World A Better Place. We begin work on the Declaration of Food Rights.

2007: 15 Years of Service

Bernadette Peters wowed the Crowd at our 15th anniversary Fundraising gala

A special fundraising gala with Broadway Legend Bernadette Peters was held at The Santa Fe Opera Theater with The Santa Fe Symphony accompanying the accomplished star.

Left: Bernadette Peters wowed the Crowd at our 15th anniversary Fundraising gala

2008: Best of Santa Fe Again

The readers of the Santa Fe Reporter vote Kitchen Angels Best of Santa Fe Best Local Nonprofit Because People Need People.

2009: Adventures a la Carte.

Kitchen Angels launches a new fundraising event, Adventures a la Carte, a smorgasbord of one-of-a-kind adventures featuring secrets, sights, and surprises from Northern New Mexico.

2010: Smithsonian Museum

A Kitchen Angels Lavender Fair apron is included in the Smithsonian Museum of American History’s Division of Medicine & Science collections related to the history of HIV/AIDS, sexuality, people with disabilities, and grass-roots community activism. The readers of the Santa Fe Reporter again vote Kitchen Angels Best of Santa Fe nonprofit.

2011: Champions for Cancer Patients Award, Local Organic Meals on a Budget, and Northern New Mexico Service Providers Alliance

Kitchen Angels receives the Champions for Cancer Patients Award  from The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. We help establish Local Organic Meals on a Budget cooking classes, a collaborative community project to educate and inspire cooking healthy meals with local, seasonal foods. Joining forces with 8 local nonprofits, Kitchen Angels becomes part of the Northern New Mexico Service Providers Alliance that aims to provide coordinated services to adults, youth, and children in crises and effect systemic change.

Left: Champions for Cancer Patients: Kitchen Angels Executive Director Tony McCarty, Nathan Bush, and Linda Siegle

2012: Celebrating 2 Decades of Service.

Kitchen Angels celebrated 20 years of service and served over 725,000 meals since its founding in 1992. The Santa Fe Reporter readers again vote Kitchen Angels the Best of Santa Fe nonprofit.

2013: Kitchen Angels Day in the New Mexico Legislature and Blue Ribbon

On February 1, 2013, the state legislature declares Kitchen Angels Day in honor of its 20 years of service to the community. Kitchen Angels wins the Blue Ribbon for best dessert in the first Annual Hungry Mouth Festival with its Island Spice Cake with Lemon Butter Cream & Candied Ginger.

Left: Kitchen Angels Staff and Board Members at the New Mexico State Legislature

2014: Angel Monologues and a Food Plan for Santa Fe

Tonya Taylor’s Storyhealers Monologue Series includes Angel Monologues.

Kitchen Angels Executive Director Tony McCarty with Commissioner Holian and Mayor Gonzales at the Food Plan Release

The Santa Fe City Council and the County Board of Commissioners adopts the Santa Fe Food Council’s food plan, Planning for Santa Fe’s Food Future: Querencia, a Story of Food, Farming, and Friends.

2015: Our 1 Millionth Meal!

We delivered our one millionth meal on October 8, 2015! Volunteer Laura Holt delivered the meal to a client she’s been bringing food to for 20 years. Volunteer Jocelyn Orner prepared the millionth meal for delivery in our kitchen. What a milestone! Here’s to one million more!

2020: Served 1.5 Million Meals!

In April we served our one and a half millionth meal! This pic is herbed chicken atop quinoa with a side of sautéed butter peas.


2022: 30 Year Anniversary

In our 30 year history we have prepared and delivered over 1,800,000 meals to 7,693 clients by 4,000 volunteers.

2023: Celebrating Serving 2 Million Meals

We are very grateful for the thousands of volunteers, the generous donors, and our dedicated staff and board members over the years and the countless community angels that have kept us growing and thriving for three decades.

Kitchen Angels Co-Founder Tony D’Agostino, former Board President Stephanie Gonzales, and Executive Director Tony McCarty

Thank you!