We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Here at Belong Kitchen HTX we employ adults with intellectual and developmental differences. After these special adults graduate from high school the opportunities for employment and meaningful social interaction are lacking. We hope to change the community’s perception and broaden the expecations for these adults by demonstrating that they are capable and productive employees who just want to contribute and belong.

What should our readers know about your business?
Belong is a nonprofit grab and go kitchen that employs adults with intellectual and developmental differences. We are so grateful for everyone who has been a part of bringing Belong to life. We recognized a real need in our community which was providing employment to these individuals along with a social outlet which was lacking. Our employees are so deserving. They are proud to come to work every day; they work hard and they are so excited to be here among friends cooking and preparing good food to share with our community. Our business model is unique in that our special employees are supported in the kitchen by volunteers from within the community and so it really is a group effort and one that everyone who is involved can be proud of.

It was not easy and it took longer than expected to get this off the ground, but we have had the help of some very generous industry experts as well as some people who simply believed in our mission and were willing to help along the way. This process of fundraising and bringing a nonprofit to life has rekindled my faith in God and in the kindness and generosity of others. There are a lot of people who want to help do good things.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would bring them to Belong Kitchen! I would give them a tour of the kitchen, make them something delicious to eat and allow them to experience the joy that our employees have when they are here working together.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our volunteers at Belong Kitchen HTX are amazing!! We have over 75 volunteers who support our special employees in the kitchen. Our volunteers are generous with their time and energy and we could not operate without them.

Website: https://belongkitchenhtx.org/

Instagram: @belongktichenhtx.org

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUcT3JM5TrM

Image Credits
Marlo Wise Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.