New opportunities are opening up to develop a personal and larger perspective on the community. The Douglas Community Kitchen has been launched to give residents access to home-cooked meals at affordable prices.
The opening of the kitchen was attended by many community partners who helped make the kitchen a reality, including representatives from the Walmart Foundation, Christian stakeholders, volunteers, and more. The opening of the kitchen was attended by many community partners who helped make the kitchen a reality, including representatives from the Walmart Foundation, Christian stakeholders, and volunteers.・I came here for the official opening of Eataly. Use it to feed people and their mission.
Executive Director Shannon Hall Sanders introduced head chefs Tonjila Dean and Rudy Sanders, and sous chef Treasury Holman. Other people are available to help if needed.
The eatery will be open at 702 S. 2nd St. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. From now on he will be eating free until mid-April, after which a small fee/donation will be required.
“Come eat a hot meal prepared by our chefs in our kitchen,” she said. “We want everyone to come and interact. I thrive on interaction and laughter. That's what I want for Douglas.”
Dean is excited to finally open and talked about how he got into the kitchen in the first place.
“Shannon is my sister-in-law and Rudy is my brother, so they knew I cook a lot,” she said. “In 2023, Shannon asked me if I could come help her with the cooking, and I said, ‘Sure, I’d be happy to help. She asked me to use her 'anointed hands' and now here we are. ”
Dean said cooking at Eataly was “very close to her heart.”
“I believe that when God gives you a gift, you should use it and take advantage of what God has given you,” Dean said. “I think he blessed me with the art of cooking. Cooking is an art, so you have to know what you're doing and how you work with food. We put love into our food and pray about it before we give it to others.”
At the opening ceremony, the history of the establishment of the store was explained.
Sandy Stewart of the Duncan Chamber of Commerce and Douglas board members recalled how they got involved.
“I had the opportunity to participate in this effort while my wife, Shirley, and I were United Way liaisons at the Douglas Eastside Senior Center,” she said. “When I stepped down from the (United Way) board, Mrs. Shirley asked me if I would join the Douglas board, so she and I served together for several years. ”
For many years, they wanted to be able to survive more independently without receiving funding from other nonprofits.
Shirley King, Douglas' former director, said she was always holding fundraisers and bake sales to keep Douglas going.
“We always thought it would be nice to have our own place to eat and have a place where people could come and eat and interact with each other. That would be a win for us as well.” Mr. King said. “I'm really grateful. When I was preparing to retire…but when I stepped down from Douglas, I didn't want to leave Douglas without anyone here. And I looked at Shannon, and Shannon was always here and very active in the community.”
King said Hall Sanders has always helped plan events such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and other advocacy opportunities for and with Douglas.
“If anyone can take this place further, Shannon is the one who can do it. I saw something in her,” King said. “Now I know it was the right decision. She took it even further. You dream, you dream…and now all of a sudden it becomes a reality. It's There was no one but God. I just thank God that she stood up for herself and accepted that position, because she brought it to where it is now.”
Hall-Sanders said she takes her new role seriously and hopes to help complete Dr. King's vision for Douglas' future. She said it sometimes made her “light-headed” late at night, but after she and her husband, Rudy, reformed, she made a plan. .
“We just asked our community partners to come together and support us and make this dream a reality,” Hall-Sanders said. “We're just blessed. I've always been told, 'The dots connect,' and we connected one dot and another dot connected us. .”
That reach led to people like Douglas Deputy Mayor and volunteer grant writer Patty Winninger, who then reached out to people she knew and, like some magical game of “telephone,” the project came together. A growing network of people investing in
The Italian Open will be Hall-Sanders' final straw.
“We are in a transition. I am no longer going to serve as Douglas' ED. We are going to establish a 'community center,' so we are passing the torch to Mr. Rudy Sanders.” We don’t just want to build the Douglas Senior Center, we want everyone to come,” she said. “We want to be a place where everyone is welcome to come.”
It is hoped that the elderly and the young will interact, bringing social and emotional benefits to all. Hall-Sanders said older people who regularly interact with younger people, not just themselves, have a longer life expectancy than those who don't.
“We want to have youth activities right here on the east side of town where they don’t have to take a bus or find transportation elsewhere,” she said. “That's what we want to offer at Douglas. We have the room.”
Rudy Saunders said the Douglas Community Center Organization (DCCO) will be the umbrella organization for the entire center and that there are big plans for the next phase once Eataly is up and running. .
Some of the ideas include a variety of classes for all ages, including cooking, small home repair, and art, depending on the volunteer teacher.
Stewart said on behalf of the Douglas Eastside board that this is a good thing.
“We've been thinking about this for a while, but this isn't the end of the senior center, we're going to continue the senior center. Just merging with DCCO will give us even more ability to serve more people.” It gets better,” Stewart said. “There will still be a program for seniors and nothing will change except that we will open it up to the community and get young people involved.”
Mr. Winninger then recognized the support of U.S. Sen. Jessica Garvin, the Walmart Foundation, the Chickasaw Nation, New Hope Baptist Church Children's Services, the City of Duncan, contractors who have donated their time and talents, and numerous donations from citizens and local businesses. He expressed his gratitude to many people including.
“They put so much into this, they believe in this mission…They show true love, and one thing Shannon, Rudy and Shirley taught me…we are here to… It’s about being the hands and feet of Jesus by serving to bring unity to the community,” Wininger said.
