The Center of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) is the hub of the district-wide school food program network that connects nutrition, education, and community programs at OUSD’s schools, kitchens, and gardens and includes the district’s Central Kitchen.
Housed on a former school site in West Oakland, The Center includes 45,000 square feet of indoor space for the Central Kitchen, offices, and classrooms, with another approximately 85,000 square feet of outdoor space dedicated to an instructional garden, outdoor kitchen, greenhouse, and a future community garden for neighbors.
The Central Kitchen prepares about 26,523 breakfasts, lunches, suppers, and snacks daily—a total of 132,615 per week—for all OUSD students. Thanks to California’s Universal Meal programs, The Center can provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks at no cost to every OUSD student, although not all students participate in the meal program yet.
The Central Kitchen also houses a warehouse filled with meal ingredients, small wares, paper goods, and other supplies used in every school cafeteria. Nutrition Services staff from school sites and the Central Kitchen receive training in The Center’s teaching kitchen and classrooms.
In addition to preparing and providing healthy meals for OUSD students, The Center offers hands-on student educational experiences (like field trips for 3rd, 6th graders, and high school students) and staff professional development options that focus on nutrition, gardening, and the environment—and supports this programming at all OUSD school sites as well.
“We provide learning opportunities that most of our students wouldn’t get otherwise,” said Michelle Oppen, OUSD Director of Programs. “Here they can move, touch, and learn about food, soil, and the environment. They learn about cooking in our culinary classroom.”
A community garden space will be accessible to neighbors in the future.
“Our programs are unique to a city environment,” she said. “Our educational programs could serve as a model for other districts around the country,” Oppen said.
The Center was more than 10 years in the making before opening in 2021. Environment, Food, and Garden (EFG) programming at OUSD is entirely funded by grant and donor money—which includes food for cooking and Harvest of the Month taste tests, staffing, stipends for school staff, equipment, and supplies, as well as buses for the field trips.
The Center programs receive support through strong partnerships and diversified funding through public and private funds. Past and present funders include the Alameda County Public Health Department, State and Federal Farm to School grants, Kaiser Permanente, and Eat.Learn.Play.
Other key programming partners include UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, FoodCorps, and Sustainability Service Corps/BACR.
“Our staff has raised funding for the last three years to keep these important education and community programs in the district. We are truly grateful for the key partnerships that fund and support our work because, without them, EFG programming simply wouldn’t exist.”
The Center is seeking partnerships as a multi-year funding strategy for the Environment, Food, and Garden programming is being developed.
For information about partnering with The Center, contact Michelle Oppen at michelle.oppen@ousd.org.
