In response to our ever-changing social and economic environment, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui’s social enterprise, Good Kitchen, has adjusted its operation strategies and has transformed its catering business into food manufacturing since 1st May, 2017. To deliver its heartfelt gratitude to the support from various sectors, the Welfare Council hosted a thanksgiving dinner cum “Servanthood Leadership” dinner series, “Holding on and letting go” on 28th April, 2017. A total of 123 guests, friends and staff joined together to look back at the wonderful moments and celebrate the future of the Good Kitchen as well as learn the spirit of servanthood leadership on this eventful night.
The Welfare Council invited Ms Florence Hui, Under Secretary for Home Affairs, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Western Kowloon and The Revd Kenneth Lau, Chaplain of the Welfare Council, as the officiating guests of the Ceremony to celebrate the Good Kitchen’s new mode of operation. Accompanied by Dr Jane Lee, the Director of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, 3 guests put the labels – “Healthy”, “Environmental-friendly”, “Innovative” and “Caring” respectively into a basket filled with fresh and healthy food, suggesting the Good Kitchen will continue to create healthy and fresh dishes while promoting and extending the messages of “Healthy”, “Environmental-friendly”, “Innovative” and “Caring”.
In her opening remarks, Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, said, “Such transformation is to prepare for the Good Kitchen’s future development. It is always hard to say goodbye but I believe that it is not the end of the story but a new chapter of the Good Kitchen. I am sure that the Good Kitchen is ready for new challenges and I hope you will continue to support the Good Kitchen. I also want to thank the community for their generous support for the Good Kitchen by making donations or working with the it on various community projects.”
Also, Dr Lee mentioned that the dinner series has always been a well-received programme held at the Good Kitchen, where Father Thomas Kwan, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan and the Rt Revd Dr Timothy Kwok were invited to share the theory of spiritual management with participants. She felt grateful for the leadership of them and Father Thomas Kwan for hosting the Servanthood Leadership dinner series in that evening. Dr Lee then presented the Awards of Appreciation to the partners and staff of the Good Kitchen in recognition of their effort and contribution all along.
A keynote speaker of the dinner series, Father Thomas Kwan, is the Honorary Professional Consultant of the Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research, CUHK as well as the Welfare Council’s Spiritual Development Consultant. Father Kwan’s views on holding on and letting go were inspiring and the participants found the experience physically and spiritually fulfilling. At the end of the dinner, guests and employees grasped the final opportunity to capture the precious moments of the Good Kitchen, filling the night with warmth and happiness.
30th April was the last operation day of the Good Kitchen before moving on to a new stage. The Good Kitchen team shared sentiments of regret but the team still served every customer with heart and dedication. On that day, Mr Joseph Man, Deputy Director of the Welfare Council led a group of staff of the Welfare Council’s headquarters to visit the Good Kitchen and say thank you to the Good Kitchen team. Staff also shared how the Good Kitchen established and experiences to conclude the afternoon.
Good Kitchen will move forward.
Blessing by the Rt Revd Andrew Chan to the Good Kitchen:
May the Lord give us the ability to hold on and the courage to let go;
the wisdom to hold on and the depth to let go;
the perservance to hold on and the bravery to let go;
the determinedness to hold on and the spiritual strength to let go.
May the Lord show us the meaning of life, truth and His will in holding on and
letting go.
The Past and Future of the Good Kitchen
Founded in 2013, the Good Kitchen was the first Chinese eatery in the form of social enterprise that has been actively promoting caring to underprivileged groups, healthy eating, eco-friendliness and innovative social services while maintaining high standards of food quality, attracting compliments from celebrities and gourmets as well as wide media coverage. Fulfilling its social responsibilities, the Good Kitchen was well-recognized by the public.
Collaboration with Various Organisations
Over the past few years, the Good Kitchen has promoted a number of service schemes to support the underprivileged members of society, persons undergoing rehabilitation, ex-offenders and female immigrants from the mainland. Besides, it has worked with the S.K.H. Holy Carpenter Church Community Centre to provide an internship programme to seniors, which increased their chances of rejoining the workforce. Events such as work shadowing programmes, tours to social enterprises, parenting talk and the local food feast also held at the Good Kitchen.
Caring for Society
Unlike regular takeout, the Good Kitchen has advocated eco-friendly eating habits. With the sponsorship of the DBS Social Enterprise Advancement Grant, new services including “Meals for Good” and “Soup for Good” were launched to offer enterprises in the surrounding districts nutritious lunches and double-boiled soup, helping workers establish healthy and eco-friendly eating habits. The Good Kitchen also launched its Suspended Meal Scheme. Empowered by donations from various sectors, it offered meal coupons to low-income individuals so they could enjoy free lunches at the Good Kitchen. In a show of corporate responsibility, the Good Kitchen co-organized varied charity movements with a number of corporations, which included to host the “Good Spirit” caring activity with the Henderson Land Development Company Limited and bring festive foods to households on Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, street sleepers, persons undergoing rehabilitation, immigrants from the mainland and singleton elderly so they could feel the love and care of society.
Ready for New Challenges
Backed by profound experience in the industry, the Good Kitchen is well prepared for new challenges ahead. Currently, the food factory has started operation. In addition to providing nutritious lunch boxes and soup, catering services, festive foods and food manufacturing, the Good Kitchen will continue to offer job opportunities and training to the underprivileged groups. Please support the Good Kitchen! For any sales enquiry, please contact us via the following ways:
Good Kitchen
Tel: 2541 7031 (Ms Ching/Ms Tse)
Email: gk@skhwc.org.hk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/goodkitchen500
Fax: 2752 7382
Website: www.goodkitchen.com.hk
Address: Flat 3A, 4/F, Hoi Luen Industrial Centre, Hoi Yuen Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon