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Our Mission
At Mama's Kitchen we believe that every person is entitled to the basic necessity of life, nutritious food. As a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization, we prepare and deliver food to men, women and children who are affected by AIDS or cancer.
Great Gatsby! Mama Turns 20
2010 marks the 20th anniversary of Mama's Kitchen! Join us for a fabulous Gatsby Garden Brunch and the Tony Kopas Tribute Award at the historil estate of Jim Urbina and Jeff Johnston. Don that impeccable suit or fabulous hat and toast Mama’s next 20 years as we honor the past and celebrate the future.
The Great Gatsby! Mama Turns 20 celebration is an elegant seated brunch that takes guests back in time to the Roaring '20s, complete with a classic car on display, flowing cabanas, live jazz and swing music, and attendees donning their finest white linens and fashionable hats. The music, fine cuisine, gentle breezes and time with friends will make for a relaxed and enchanting afternoon. All proceeds from the event, including Opportunity Drawings, go directly to the daily operations of Mama’s Kitchen so that it can continue to serve San Diegans for another 20 years and beyond.
Helping us celebrate our rich history of service is Event Chair Elisabeth Bergan, joined by our Honorary Committee. Tickets are on sale now at $250 per ticket; tables seat 10. Become a sponsor and host your guests in your own Gatsby-inspired cabana, personally attended by a celebrity chef! Elegant private cabanas swagged with sheer white fabric are available for your relaxation and enjoyment. Sit back with mimosa in hand and enjoy your own private area. Three options are available and each comes with soft white furnishings and bottle service. The Green Light Cabana Lounge at $5,000.00 (you may want to re-read The Great Gatsby for this reference!), The Trust Fund Gatsby Cabana Lounge at $10,000.00 and The Classic Cabana Lounge at $15,00.00 are beautifully appointed and designed to delight. The Classic Gatsby option comes with your own personal chef making special delights just for you! For sponsorship information, please call Aimee at 619-233-6262 or email aimee@mamaskitchen.org .
Supporters of Mama’s Kitchen are encouraged to make their mark on the organization’s history by placing a customized advertisement in the 20th Anniversary Tribute Book. Options include name listings for $75, quarter page ads for $125, half-page black and white ads for $250, full-page black and white ads for $500, inside cover full-page black and white ads for $1,000, and inside cover full-page color ads for $2,000. Tribute books will be handed out to guests at the event. For more information on ticket sales, VIP cabanas and Tribute Book ads, please click here or call 619-233-6262.
Mama's Kitchen was founded in 1990 when volunteers from the AIDS Assistance Fund, who ran a small grocery store for low-income people with AIDS, discovered patients were dying from malnutrition long before their immune systems were overcome by AIDS-related infections. They realized that a reliable home meal delivery service was needed for patients too ill, isolated, or emotionally devastated to help themselves.
Since that time, Mama's Kitchen has opened its meal delivery service to people living with cancer as well as those affected by HIV/AIDS. Mama’s Kitchen provides 100% of the daily nutrition recommended by the American Dietetic Association, and in 2009 the Kitchen delivered 375,723 freshly prepared nutritious meals to a total of 1327 clients, free of charge. In our 20 year history, Mama's has never turned away a single person who is eligible for our services, and today, we remain as strongly committed to our mission as ever.
Letter from the Executive Director
As Mama’s Kitchen approaches 20 years of existence we cannot but acknowledge the despair and pain that many of us witnessed and lived during the early years of the AIDS epidemic. The year was 1990 – it would be another five years before any true treatment breakthrough would be witnessed. The loss of life was defeat and defeat was rampant. This is the context in which Mama’s Kitchen emerged, and along with other community efforts, came to be a beacon of hope.
So in our 20th year we not only celebrate the expressions of love and hope that, to this day are the heart of Mama’s Kitchen, we acknowledge the pain and sorrow of the time, and commemorate the lives that have been lost to AIDS.
We will also pay tribute to those individuals who were involved in Mama’s Kitchen in the very early days. I will start with the names of some of the pioneers involved in the first year (1990-91) of Mama’s Kitchen’s existence:
- Laurie Leonard, the founder and first Executive Director of Mama’s Kitchen
- Michael Chadwick
- Ruth Henricks of The Huddle, one of the first places to prepare food for Mama’s Kitchen
- Edie Leonard, Laurie’s Mom
- Mark VonderHaar
- Barbara Crusberg
- Dennis Howard
- Tony Kopas
- Pam Higgins
- Rue Tootle
- Ruth Howell
- Dean James E. Carroll of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, also one of the first places where Mama’s Kitchen food was prepared
These are but a few of the people who built what has proven to be a durable foundation for Mama’s Kitchen. In the coming months we will be sharing the names of more individuals whose contributions of time, work, resources, intelligence and love have sustained the mission over the last two decades. In doing so, we hope to inspire action and leadership for the coming decades.
