Collaborative solutions that will make our communities resilient in the 21st century don't need to wait for some version of the future, or conform to some outdated hippie ideal. Case in point: the community kitchen. This smart, practical program promotes local food security, not only by ensuring that participants have access to affordable food, but also by completing the picture -- giving people the time, equipment, guidance and assistance necessary to prepare healthy meals in a busy world.

Here's how it works: first, a community of people plans a menu. They work together, or elect an organizer, to procure food. Sometimes the members themselves simply divide the cost, enjoying the savings that come with purchasing food staples in bulk. Sometimes the group gathers donations, or makes use of food from local food banks or similar institutions. No matter where the food originates, however, one important detail sets the community kitchen apart from soup kitchens or other feeding programs: the practice of preparing and sharing food communally. The people who will eat the food are the same people who help to cook the food, and by those rules, all participants are equal. 

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