Photo by Deb Gau United Community Action Partnership staff and local community members toured the newly-redesigned Kitchen Table Food Shelf at an open house on Thursday. The Kitchen Table has been reorganized to feel more like a grocery store, and to make it easier to find fresh, healthy foods

MARSHALL — The Kitchen Table Food Shelf in Marshall got a new look and layout this summer. The shelves are neatly organized and labeled, and there’s artwork on the walls to help brighten the space.

“It’s just a different vibe. It makes it feel more like a grocery store,” said Nikki Knobloch, food and nutrition manager at United Community Action Partnership.

The changes aren’t just designed to be more user-friendly and appealing, Knobloch said — they also help the Kitchen Table put healthy foods like fruits and vegetables front and center. The first thing you see when you enter the food shelf are bins of fresh tomatoes, peppers and onions.

On Thursday, UCAP held an open house to showcase the Kitchen Table’s transformation. They also received SuperShelf certification. The SuperShelf program works with food shelves to help create a better atmosphere for clients, and to help make it easier to find healthy food choices, said SuperShelf lead consultant Mary Krentz.

“A big part of SuperShelf is creating a welcoming and dignified experience,” Krentz said.

The Kitchen Table transformed into a SuperShelf location in mid-July, Knobloch said. Food shelf volunteers took about a day to rearrange the food shelf, add signs in English and Spanish, and redecorate.

“It was a big change from what we had,” said volunteer Leo Bass.

Krentz said the changes at the Kitchen Table helped give it a more positive atmosphere. Access to a variety of healthy and culturally-appropriate foods has also expanded, she said.

Knobloch said one of the things the Kitchen Table did in its redesign was to display fresh produce where clients can see it right away. The shelves were also re-organized to flow more like a grocery store, with sections for produce, protein and dairy, bread and baked goods, and more.

“Now we are all categorized,” Knobloch said.

Having better organization and signage helps clients to pick out their own groceries when visiting the food shelf, Knobloch said. During the COVID pandemic, the Kitchen Table had switched to having volunteers gather items from clients’ grocery lists and bring them outside. However, now the food shelf is getting back to letting people pick their own items, she said.

Knobloch said the response from area residents has been positive.

“We’ve seen an increase in our client base,” she said. While the increase could be due to economic factors, part of it might be that people feel more comfortable coming to the food shelf, she said.

The Kitchen Table operates with the help of support from area residents and businesses, food rescue at local grocery stores, and a partnership with Second Harvest Heartland, Knobloch said.

UCAP staff and food shelf volunteers hoped for a good turnout at Thursday’s open house.

“We wanted to invite the community to see what we’ve done,” Knobloch said.