Community Kitchen was founded in 1989 as a result of the Mayor’s Task Force on Hunger. The goal was to provide a central kitchen where nutritious meals could be cost effectively prepared for “Meals on Wheels” home delivered meal program, senior group dining sites and low-income child day care centers. In 1999, Lifescape Community Services was formed from a merger of Meet & Eat and Cornerstone Resources (formerly Protestant Community Services and Winnebago County Council on Aging) to provide non-meal services and address the social and information needs of older adults. Although their tasks are different, the goal of Community Kitchen/Lifescape Community Services remains the same – “Keeping older adults nutritionally healthy, independent, connected and informed.”

The agencies that formed Community Kitchen/Lifescape Community Services have often been recognized for outstanding service to seniors. Since merging the numerous agencies providing senior services into one in 1999, Community Kitchen/Lifescape Community Services has been able to improve the quality of service. In 1999, Community Kitchen/Lifescape Community Services received the prestigious Sid Granet Aging Network Achievement Award.