New participants are welcome and the Kitchen has been advertised in the Queen West Health Centre, Scadding Court, LINK and housing units in the area. Most current members attend other Evangel Hall activities, one for over 40 years, and the atmosphere is social and congenial. The Kitchen has been running, with breaks, for about four years. Donations from the food pantry are often used. Two dishes are made each week, one vegetarian, and participants bring containers to take them home.
Planning is done together after cooking each week and member preferences are taken into account.
Since one person is diabetic and another has heart problems, particular attention is paid to low fat, low salt and low sugar. For this reason the Flemingdon Health Centre's Wellness Cookbook is often used. Shopping is usually done by the facilitator. Hearty, nutritious, multicultural meals, not usually tried at home, are made, such as stuffed peppers and borscht, lemon chicken and fried rice. Though Myrtle is available for advice and sometimes attends the planning, the group operates on its own without a facilitator.