TIFFIN, Ohio — A small church in downtown Tiffin is working with other organizations to make a big impact in their community.
Old Trinity Episcopal Church sits in the heart of the civic center of Tiffin.
Although they only average about 30 regular churchgoers a week, they have plans in place to completely reshape this stretch of Jefferson Street.
Church leaders have announced plans of extending the building and constructing a $2.4 million community kitchen.
While funding will be split up between the diocese and local funding from the state level, Trinity will provide leadership at the community-run kitchen to offer cooking classes, health department education, culinary arts programs through the local colleges and even a community kitchen co-op where folks in need can pool resources for meal prep throughout the week.
Rector Aaron Gerlach said it made perfect sense for his church community to want to be a part of the ongoing revitalization of downtown Tiffin.
"I came here in 2014 and ever since I've been, there's been construction within a block of us. And so, it just seems like a natural fit for us to offer leadership in what is the next thing that can be done to revitalize downtown Tiffin," said Gerlach.
The goal is to have the fundraising in place for a scheduled groundbreaking next fall, and for the new community kitchen to be up and running by summer of 2022.