Claire Knowles became homeless after her husband died in a car crash in 2009. With nowhere to go for a hot meal, she relied on the Friendly Kitchen in Concord.
“It was hard carrying everything you owned in a suitcase or backpack,” says Knowles. “It was very important to know that that kitchen was there.”
But when the Friendly Kitchen was destroyed by fire in April 2011, the area’s low- and moderate-income residents faced the prospect of going hungry. Raising the money to rebuild the nonprofit facility seemed a monumental task.