10/06/2026
Jesus Cares 2020 Community Kitchen (jesuscares2020.org) served 1,907 patrons in September, continuing the strong demand the downtown Santa Rosa ministry has seen since reopening last fall.
We operated 20 days during September, with daily attendance ranging from 70 patrons on Sept. 7 to 115 on Sept. 21. That works out to an average of 95.4 people served per open day. The kitchen also recorded 2,067 meals served during the month.
September’s total was lower than August’s 2,175 patrons, but the difference partly reflects fewer operating days. The kitchen was closed Sept. 24 and 25 to give long-serving volunteers a break. Even with those closures, September attendance remained well above the levels recorded when the kitchen first reopened.
From October 2025 through September, monthly patron counts generally trended upward. Our team of dedicated volunteers served 1,507 people in October 2025 and 1,488 in November before rising to 1,792 in December. Monthly attendance reached 1,897 in January, remained near that level through March, then climbed to 2,129 in April. After easing to 1,939 in May and 1,948 in June, demand rose to 2,107 in July and peaked at 2,175 in August before finishing at 1,907 in September.
Altogether, we served 22,638 patrons and 25,135 meals from October 2025 through last month. That represents an average of about 1,887 patrons per month during our first 12 months after reopening.
That work is supported by community food donations. Much of our food comes from a Trader Joe’s store in Santa Rosa, while Redwood Gospel Mission supplies additional groceries. Food Pal provides dairy products, baked goods and snacks, and Crumbl Cookies contributes desserts.
Those partnerships stretch the kitchen’s resources and help Jesus Cares 2020 Community Kitchen continue putting dependable meals on the table for neighbors who need them.
