Our Story
Hidden between the ocean and the bay is an unseen reality: 1 in 10 Cape Codders experience food insecurity, and 79% of Outer Cape residents report experiencing social isolation and loneliness.
Our Origin Story
Truro Community Kitchen (TCK) launched in April of 2020 through the work of a dedicated team of founders: the Lurie-Sobel family (Wendy, David, and Eli), Julie and Frank Grande, Nick and Lucy Brown, and Tom Roda. As the pandemic shuttered businesses, closed school cafeterias, and confined families to their homes, the founders identified that Truro needed its very own food relief program - one rooted in the town itself, shaped by local relationships, and trusted by neighbors. They collaborated on a simple idea: free, nourishing, home-cooked meals delivered directly to neighbors in need. It would be called Truro Community Kitchen.
Since day one, TCK has taken a no-questions-asked approach– this meant no names recorded, no eligibility requirements or income qualification, and no judgment. The founders envisioned a system in which all someone had to do was register their address and a warm meal would arrive each week at their door. This became the foundation of TCK’s flagship meal delivery program, which continues to thrive under this accessible model.
TCK began cooking out of Box Lunch Truro, a beloved sandwich shop, and served about 80 people on its first day. With no full-size oven or even a stove - just a woefully overworked flat-top grill - volunteers managed to craft multi-course, nourishing meals complete with home-baked desserts. Support and funding poured in from local businesses, residents, and people from all over who loved Truro, and TCK gathered the resources to serve heartwarming meals in a very scary time. The program was made possible by the generosity of the community– volunteers dedicated hours to cooking, local businesses offered up space in their walk-in freezers and in-kind donations, and individual financial donors filled in the gaps. At its busiest times that spring, TCK was serving 180 people per week.
In the summer of 2020, TCK relocated operations to Truro’s Christian Union Church (with real stoves!), where it continues to cook today. As the immediate crisis of the pandemic eased over the next few months, weekly service stabilized around 130 meal recipients per week. The founders quickly realized that the need for a free meal program in Truro with low barriers to access had existed since well before the pandemic, and they dedicated themselves to building up a sustainable, long-term organization.
TCK hasn’t missed a week of meal service since that very first day, and the team has no plans of slowing down. TCK has since expanded its programs: with the goal of building intergenerational relationships and strengthening community, TCK now holds monthly Community Dinners, in partnership with Truro Central School, and we are actively exploring additional program possibilities.
The growing Board of Directors envisions TCK as a permanent part of the town’s fabric. TCK remains dedicated to collaboration and community-building, and we’re always looking for opportunities to build new relationships. Yes, we’ve got a lot of cooks in our kitchen– that’s because we believe that working together is the best way to put community care on the menu.
Throw on an apron and join us!
Who We Are
Many Truro residents find accessing healthy food to be cost-prohibitive. Relatedly, Truro also has some of the highest rates of diet-related chronic disease on the Cape and islands. Residents of our beloved town deserve to have their basic needs met, and Truro Community Kitchen (TCK) offers a dignified solution.
TCK is a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by volunteers. Every Tuesday, teams of dedicated community members prepare, package, and deliver meals throughout Truro. Each delivery provides a hearty dinner, plus 1-2 smaller meals, a light breakfast, and a snack for the following day. TCK volunteers deliver meals in reusable containers, which are collected the following week, sanitized, and reused to reduce waste. Our delivery drivers are more than just couriers; they stay for a chat and offer company to isolated neighbors, reminding them that they are valued members of the Truro network. The goal is not just to feed people, but to build belonging among Truro residents. Another way we do this is through monthly intergenerational Community Dinners we co-host with Truro Central School; learn more and sign up on our volunteer page.
TCK works in tandem with other local support resources, such as the Truro Council on Aging, Outer Cape Health Services, and Lower Cape Outreach Council. TCK is a member of the Cape Cod Hunger Network, a coalition of organizations fighting food insecurity across the cape. TCK provides meals for pockets of the community within the area, such as Truro’s police and fire departments, local support groups for people with long-term illnesses and their caregivers, and hospice patients receiving care at the nearby Lily House.
We are determined to stretch our impact as far as possible. Every detail of TCK’s programs is seen as an opportunity to convey care and compassion.
Our Team
Sara Silacci
Interim Executive Director
Steve Higgins
Kitchen Manager
Maddie Kahle
Project Coordinator
Dr. Caitlyn Scales
Development Director
Our Board
Wendy Lurie, Esq.
Co-Founder, President
Development Committee
Eli Lurie Sobel
Co-Founder, Vice President
Community Engagement Committee
David Sobel
Co-Founder
Volunteer Engagement Committee
Bri Smith, LICSW
Secretary
Community Engagement Committee
Mary Perkins
Treasurer
Finance and Development Committees
Ronnie Bloom
Board Member
Governance Committee
Sara Silacci
Board Member
Governance and Finance Committees