Serving Up Love

Hartwood woman with heart for homeless leads Kimz Kitchen

BY TRACY BELL

It may take “one spoon at a time” to feed the homeless, but Kim Halford’s passion is to do just that.

Halford, who lives in the Hartwood area of Stafford County, has been feeding the homeless for nearly 15 years, after she first recognized a need in her hometown Detroit and joined a committee on her church’s ministry team.

After moving to Virginia in 2009 – first Loudoun County and later Stafford – she continued her mission, Kimz Kitchen, because homelessness exists everywhere. The organization officially became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in November.

Today, Kimz Kitchen consists of Halford and a handful of volunteers in Stafford and Loudoun counties who self-fund the fresh, homemade food they prepare to help the homeless and working poor.

“I’m a foodie,” Halford explained. “I pride myself on my food and I love to eat.”

The crews make “real food,” she said, everything from fried chicken and macaroni and cheese to green beans, corn, salad, brownies and all other desserts imaginable.

Sandwiches aren’t typically on the menu, though.

Kim Halford

Not that there’s anything wrong with them, but Halford prefers to focus on comfort food and homemade cuisine she and her volunteers would likely eat.

Sometimes, they make the food in their own kitchens then unite the dishes to prepare a feast. Other times, they get together to cook, laughing, talking and building friendships along the way.

The Stafford crew typically has as many as five volunteers pitching in to help Halford, and the Loudoun group five to six.

“I would love to have more volunteers,” Halford said, “especially local.”

South Stafford resident Sara Roth started volunteering with Kimz Kitchen because she wanted to help the community and give back in a way that would benefit those in need.

Kim Halford had her minivan wrapped with the Kimz Kitchen logo so she and her volunteers can take food to people in need.

“It’s an amazing group of women volunteers with the most beautiful hearts,” Roth said. “It’s a very rewarding experience each time we serve together and are able to help provide assistance.”

Halford, who works full time from home for American Express as an executive assistant, also gets help from her family, including her husband, Emmett. Their children, Kameron, 9, and Kayden, 7, also love to help when asked.

Woodbridge resident Keisha Carter, a part of the Stafford crew, said she most enjoys working with Halford, who has “just as big of a heart to give” as her own. She also appreciates the “satisfied look” of a person she serves when their need has been met.

“As I continue to be blessed in my life, I make it a point to be a blessing to someone else,” Carter said.

Kimz Kitchen serves food at two shelters monthly: the Thurman Brisben Homeless Shelter in Fredericksburg and the Loudoun Homeless Services Center in Leesburg.

But Halford saw homeless people outside of the shelters too, and wanted to find a way to take them food – so she went mobile. She had her minivan wrapped with the Kimz Kitchen logo and took her mission on the road last summer.

She can now reach people in need in motels, tent cities and homeless camps and on the streets – not just in area shelters.

Although most people think of helping the homeless in cold weather, there is a need year-round. Halford plans to use the van to deliver food this summer, too.

She’d love help making food, delivering meals and helping at shelters, but in the meantime, area residents may catch a glimpse of her hitting the streets with the organization’s motto, “Feeding the homeless one spoon at a time,” splashed across the van.

On May 20, Kimz Kitchen held its first Sneaker Ball outside Halford’s home as a fundraiser. The event, which she hopes to make annual, featured music, a cash bar and a full buffet. Tents and tables peppered the spacious property, offering games like bingo, blackjack and roulette.

Guests wore red carpet attire, along with comfortable sneakers to finish the look.

Halford said she hopes to offer more initiatives like the Sneaker Ball to build her nonprofit so she doesn’t have to rely solely on the volunteers. She envisions setting up at parks or spreading the word at community events.

And while Halford acknowledged that there’s still a stigma and even occasionally distrust surrounding homelessness, she sees past it to help those in need. She often recognizes and occasionally even befriends the people she assists.

She recalled one older homeless couple she helped years ago and their visit to her home. They ultimately were able to obtain housing and are still friends with the Halford family to this day.

Halford, with the hope that she can do even more to ease any struggle the homeless face, will do so led by the Bible scripture (Acts 20:35): “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.