Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ceres Building?

An 19,611 square foot headquarters facility. The campus will include a large production kitchen, Client Resource Center, teaching kitchen, garden and community spaces and offices.

 Why is Ceres taking on this project?

  • Need and demand has exploded. During the pandemic, Ceres’ meal service grew from 79,000 meals a year in 2019 to 215,000 meals in 2023.

  • Medi-Cal eligibility = ability to serve more clients. Because of our leadership, California’s MediCal health plans can now offer and pay for meals like Ceres provides. This can provide a sustainable source of funding to help many more people who need us.

  • Ceres is the only nonprofit North of San Francisco of the state that prepares and delivers medically tailored meals, and the only one with a culinary and food system Youth Development Program. If we don’t step up, there is no one else who can.

 How will this increase Ceres’ impact?

  • Serve four times as many clients – once we are fully scaled, that means 1,600 clients and their families being nourished every single day for years to come.

  • At least 50% more youth benefitting from our Youth Development Program – learning how to grow, cook and eat healthy food; gaining skills for school, work and life; developing leadership; and discovering their power to make a difference.

  • Ability to add new programs such as a paid culinary job training program for youth, and gardening, nutrition and culinary education classes for clients and community members.

  • A Center for Nutrition. Bring our whole community together for education events and celebrations. The kitchen, Community Room and Plaza areas can host up to 300 people.

  • Caring for the planet. Completely green building with solar, one of the first fully electric commercial kitchens in the North Bay, EV charging stations, a battery micro grid and more.

  • All of our staff under one roof. At one location we can better support one another as well as daily operations such as meal production.

 

Who does Ceres’ Serve?

Currently, 500 medically at-risk diverse, low-income patients a year; 325 youth volunteers; 600 adult volunteers across Marin and Sonoma counties

o   The clients that Ceres serves would not be able to afford or prepare the quality of food that they need to manage and treat their health conditions.

-        85% of our clients are living on less than $25,000 a year

-        42% are younger than 60 with no other options for meal support

-        Nearly half are from marginalized communities and 25% are monolingual Spanish speakers

o   Ceres also engages around 325 youth each year in a comprehensive Youth Development Program centered around healthy eating and community service.

o   600 adult volunteers support our work; many improve their eating habits after getting involved.

Where will the project be located?

Southwest Santa Rosa.

  • In Corporate Center, a business park located in Southwest Santa Rosa.

  • Within a 15-minute drive of 6 major high schools so we can reach and serve more youth

  • Half-way between two existing Sonoma County kitchens to support adult volunteers

  • Central for delivery, near the intersection of highways 101 and 12

How much will this project cost?  

$22 million, including $11 million raised through a capital campaign. We will be leveraging state and federal funding but will need to raise $11 million through the capital campaign. We definitely need everyone’s help.

What’s the timeline?

  • Purchased the property in 2023 (done.)

  • Start construction in September of 2024

  • Move in at the end of 2025