OK Kitchen director nominated as ‘Hometown Hero’ by Save A Lot

Photo by Tom Rivers: Faith Smith, leader of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, is shown last Nov. 23 when more than 30 volunteers helped to prepare and serve 630 Thanksgiving meals for free.

ALBION – The director of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen has been nominated as a “Hometown Hero” by Save A Lot.

“Faith Smith tirelessly ensures no one in her community goes hungry,” Save A Lot declared.

Smith has led the kitchen for about 15 years. It moved from Christ Episcopal Church to Harvest Christian Fellowship in June 2022, serving several hundred meals every Thursday, and also expanding to frozen soups for people to take home.

Mike and Faith Smith are dedicated volunteers at the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen. Faith Smith has been nominated as a “Hometown Hero.” If she is in the top 5 of votes the OK Kitchen will receive a $500 donation from Save A Lot.

Smith was nominated by Rick and Dee Huntington for Save A Lot’s Hometown Heroes program.

The top five vote-getters receive a $500 Save A Lot gift card, which Smith said would go to the kitchen.

To vote, “like” or “love” Smith’s Hometown Hero nomination on Save A Lot’s Facebook page. Click here to see it. Voting started Oct. 22 and continues through Nov. 5.

Smith’s Hometown Hero nomination on Save A Lot states the following:

“Faith Smith has been a dedicated activist in the community, providing hot meals to those in need for over 15 years. Two years ago, she launched the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen (OKK) at the Harvest Christian Fellowship, where no one is ever turned away. When the extra food stamp benefits from COVID ended, Faith adapted by preparing and freezing soups to ensure visitors could take home meals for another day. Her drive to prevent hunger stems from her personal experience as a young, single mother struggling to feed her children.

“Faith’s contributions go far beyond providing a hot meal. She is deeply compassionate, offering birthday goodie bags, distributing gifts to needy children at Christmas, and delivering meals to shut-ins while performing wellness checks. She supports other community organizations, provides free items to those in need when there is a surplus, and assembles essential items like blankets, hats, and toiletries for the homeless. Tirelessly, she recruits volunteers to help with OKK’s mission.

“Her work is entirely unpaid, driven solely by her passion for helping others. Faith Smith is selfless, hardworking, compassionate, resourceful, and deeply committed to her cause. Her efforts ensure that no one in her community goes hungry, and she makes the most of every resource and donation she receives.”