Have you heard the news? Vincent’s Café is taking it to the streets – literally! The Café has been replaced by Vincent’s Mobile Kitchen.

Originally a 79 passenger school bus now transformed into a full café on wheels serving as a mobile kitchen/disaster response unit to feed working poor, homeless families, youth and individuals.

Mobile Kitchen Mission
The St. Vincent de Paul Mobile Kitchen will serve our communities’ working poor families, homeless, and children in rural areas where resources are limited and food and daily meals are limited. We serve anyone. St. Vincent de Paul is not concerned with race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or income level. We serve whoever is in need of the services we provide. We go where the need is!

How It Works
The St. Vincent de Paul food recovery network collects over-produced food from restaurants, caterers, hospitals, universities and delis. This very nutritious, delicious food is served daily in the mobile kitchen. We purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, milk products and shelf stable food to supplement each meal as necessary.. Phase-II will add emergency food box delivery to rural communities that are currently going without the service. Our mobile kitchen is fully self-contained.

Mobile Kitchen Amenities
Inside the mobile kitchen is a great place for families and individuals to stay warm or cool in a comfortable environment while enjoying a friendly non-judgmental atmosphere with dedicated volunteers. Inside the mobile kitchen you’ll find:

• Picnic style tables and benches to seat 15 to 18 people
• Full kitchen licensed by the Multnomah County Health Dept.
• Six burner stove for preparing hot meals on site
• Full refrigerator & small freezing compartment
• Cupboards
• Three compartment sink and hand washing sink
• Generator
• Furnace and air conditioning units
• 6 tables with benches together create a perfect small café

An awning was added to the outside of the mobile kitchen for people to get out of the weather while waiting for a meal inside. Tables and chairs could be set up under the awning to increase seating capacity.

A Typical Kitchen Stop
We recently served a meal at the St. Aloysius parking lot in Estacada. The visit was coordinated by the St. Vincent de Paul Conference affiliated with that Parish. Meals were given out to over 100 individuals that had come to the Conference to pick up a food box. They were overjoyed to receive a free meal from Vincent’s Mobile Kitchen at the same time.