Central Kitchen
With malnutrition and obesity rates high among low-income children, the nutrition provided by Central Kitchen is essential to the health and well-being of at-risk children in Utah. Central Kitchen prepares nutritious foods from scratch and delivers meals to children enrolled in Head Start, both during the school year and in the summertime. Central Kitchen also serves children in after-school and child care programs, including Boys and Girls Clubs, University of Utah children’s programs, and more.
Eligibility
School Meals
Preschool children aged 0-5 who are also enrolled in Utah Community Action Head Start or Early Head Start are eligible to get daily meals through the Central Kitchen. Daycare or childcare programs are also able to sign-up to receive deliveries of our made-from-scratch meals. To inquire about our meal services, contact our Culinary Director Dewayne at 808-281-9268.
Summer Dinners
During the Summer Months, UCA provides fresh and nutritious dinners for children under 18 at no cost.
2025 Schedule
June 3rd – August 8th
Monday – Friday
4:00 – 6:00 PM
South Salt Lake
2825 S 200 E, Salt Lake City
Meal Programs Offered by UCA
Services & Benefits
For some Utah children, the meals they receive at Head Start are the only meals they’ll receive during a day. For others, the diets they have access to outside of our program may be high in fats and sugars. Central Kitchen helps ensure that all Head Start children go home with at least two-thirds of their daily meals and that the nutritional value of these meals is as high as possible. This program also ensures that all children in the community have access to healthy dinners during the summer school closures when food insecurity increases.
School Meals
Healthy eating is essential for healthy childhood development. Utah Community Action’s Central Kitchen prepares nutritious foods from scratch and delivers meals and snacks to children enrolled in Head Start, after-school and childcare programs throughout Salt Lake and Tooele Counties. Meals are CACFP compliant and help children to develop the lifelong healthy eating habits they’ll need to reach their full potential.
Summer Dinners
During the summer months, UCA provides fresh and nutritious dinners at no cost for children under the age of 18.
2025 Schedule
June 3rd – August 8th
Monday – Friday
4:00 – 6:00 PM
South Salt Lake
2825 S 200 E, Salt Lake City
How Central Kitchen Came to Be
Our Story
Founded in 2009, what began as a small program to feed nutritious meals to UCA’s Head Start children has grown into a thriving social enterprise that serves children, adults, and senior citizens, Money generated from our nationally recognized program goes back into our Head Start and Nutrition programs, to serve children from at-risk backgrounds and address food insecurity within Utah.
Healthy Eating Standards
As part of the Central Kitchen initiative started in 2009, Utah Community Action established its own best practices for healthy eating.
Implications
The Head Start Central Kitchen initiative focuses on the individual/interpersonal level of the socio-ecologic model (children and their teachers and parents), with a secondary focus on the organizational level (preschools).
Equal Opportunity Provider
Utah Community Action is an equal opportunity provider and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age.
Healthy Eating Standards
As part of the Central Kitchen initiative started in 2009, Utah Community Action established its own best practices for healthy eating, requiring meals catered through the Central Kitchen to meet or exceed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) standards.
Our best practices for healthy eating:
• Foods prepared from scratch ingredients; minimal use of pre-packaged foods
• Fresh fruit and vegetables served with every meal
• Access to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
• 100% fruit juice
• Locally grown and, when possible, organically grown foods
• Whole grain products, including pasta
• Lean protein choices
• White milk (whole milk for children aged 1–2 years and nonfat milk for children aged 2–5)
• Low-fat and nonfat dairy foods
• Foods low in fat, sugar, and salt
Implications
The Head Start Central Kitchen initiative focuses on the individual/interpersonal level of the socio-ecologic model (children and their teachers and parents), with a secondary focus on the organizational level (preschools).
UCA’s Central Kitchen initiative is an emerging intervention based on its use of evidence-based strategies. The initiative shows promise, but evidence in support of effectiveness is not yet available.
Equal Opportunity Provider
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
fax:
(202) 690-7442;
email:
program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Contact Us
If you would like more information on our school meals or summer dinners programs, fill out the form below and our Nutrition team will get back to you as soon as possible.