Our family started the Anthony Cocca Family Foundation, a private 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, and Our Community Kitchen, a public 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization to provide breakfast and hot lunches on site as well as meals to take home, community programs, and various medical services to those in need. We built a 6,500 square foot facility and opened July 18, 2016. Ralph “Skip” Barone, a lifelong resident of Youngstown and an advocate for the homeless and underserved in the Youngstown area, will be the kitchen manager. Skip began volunteering at St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen 1 day a week in the 1990’s after retiring. After several years, he was volunteering 3 days a week. In 2002, the kitchen manager/cook at St. Vincent DePaul became ill and Skip was asked to assume the position, one he held until the end of 2015. Under his supervision, the kitchen served over 100,000 meals annually and Skip realized his passion for helping those in need to become more self-sufficient. He is well known in the Youngstown area as an advocate for those in need and is frequently asked to speak to various community groups about the needs of the underprivileged. His goal has always been to serve the less fortunate by giving them a sense of dignity, honor, and self-worth. To date, the response has been heartwarming and the support has been overwhelming. We are touched by the many groups and individuals who have come forward to give their time, product, and expertise to this endeavor. We have various groups offering assistance with programs and volunteering. We will be working with local leaders and celebrities to offer mentoring programs for the youth in the area and those in need who may require counseling and assistance to become more self-sufficient. We welcome churches, groups, organizations, families, and individuals to participate in any way they feel comfortable. Our family has made the commitment to fund this vision by building the facility, organizing the operations, and continuing to fund the costs necessary to achieve our goals. The operations of Our Community Kitchen will be a collaboration of our family, Skip Barone and his family, and other volunteers who have been serving the needy for many years. We feel a hands-on management team will have a better understanding of how best to serve our people in need outside of the normal institutionalized setting. We want our facility to be an example of what can hopefully expand in the future to other communities across the country. We look forward to working with your organization and welcome all Community involvement. Together "Our Community Kitchen" can be a success and we will make Youngstown proud
by setting a new standard as one of the first in the country. For more information on how your group can be involved you may also contact Kelly at 330-507-6590
