Mission Statement-
Boarding Axe Kitchen, Inc. is a Vermont-incorporated nonprofit focused on food access, dignity, and community impact through cooking, documentation, and empowerment.
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Food Supporting Food-
Our mission is to provide nourishment, compassion, and support to vulnerable individuals and families in their communities, contributing meaningfully to the fight against hunger and food insecurity.
Boarding Axe Kitchen is a community food access project focused on preparing and sharing food in ways that prioritize care, dignity, and sustainability. Our work centers on cooking as a form of service, with the goal of making thoughtfully prepared food more accessible to the people who need it.
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At present, this work is carried out in coordination with local food shelves and Right-to-Food organizations. We prepare complete meals using available ingredients and return them for distribution as part of a continuation of the Everyone Eats program. Operating within existing community systems allows us to focus on practical execution while learning what scales, what doesn’t, and what it takes to sustain food service over time.
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As the organization grows, the intention is to expand beyond this initial model and operate more independently. While the methods may evolve, the underlying focus remains the same: using food, craft, and reliable systems to support community access without placing cost or complexity on those being served.
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This work has evolved since our incorporation in 2023. Early efforts focused on coordinating resources in response to food shelf needs. Today, the emphasis has shifted toward building durable systems around cooking, preparation, and service that lays the groundwork for a broader range of food access efforts in the future.
Our Vision-
Boarding Axe Kitchen envisions a future where access to food is not defined by charity or scarcity, but by care, dignity, and thoughtful preparation. At its core, this vision centers on a space that blends the function of a food pantry and a soup kitchen with the hospitality of a professional kitchen, bringing the standards of care, safety, and craft typically associated with fine dining into a setting where food is offered freely.
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The purpose of this vision is not only to provide meals, but to create an environment where people are treated with respect and kindness. Food is prepared to be nourishing, comforting, and safe, and served in a way that preserves dignity rather than reinforcing need. In this model, access to good food is not conditional, transactional, or diminished by circumstance.
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Alongside a fixed location, this vision also includes a mobile counterpart. A food truck or canteen-style operation would allow the same principles of care and quality to reach people where access is limited—whether due to transportation barriers, geographic isolation, or emergency situations. Mobility expands the ability to respond to immediate needs without requiring individuals to come to a single physical place.
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Together, these two expressions represent a flexible and resilient approach to food access. Whether operating from a building or on the road, the underlying goal remains the same: to offer thoughtfully prepared food in ways that center humanity, adapt to real conditions, and meet people where they are.
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A Long-Term Framework
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Boarding Axe Kitchen’s long-term approach to addressing food insecurity is grounded in three interconnected areas: food, education, and training. Together, these elements form a framework for addressing both immediate needs and the conditions that contribute to food insecurity over time.
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Food
Providing access to thoughtfully prepared meals addresses the most immediate and visible aspect of food insecurity. This work focuses on nourishment, safety, and dignity, ensuring that food is not only available, but prepared and shared with care.
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Education
Education represents the sharing of practical knowledge around food, such as cooking skills, food safety, preservation, and basic nutrition. Over time, this knowledge can help individuals make informed choices, reduce waste, and navigate food-related challenges with greater confidence.
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Training
Training reflects a longer-term aspiration to create pathways for skill development in culinary and hospitality work. By focusing on transferable skills and real-world experience, training programs can contribute to economic stability and community resilience.
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Together, these areas form a guiding framework rather than a fixed set of programs. The emphasis is on building systems gradually and responsibly, allowing each component to develop as capacity, resources, and partnerships grow.
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How these ideas take shape over time, our projected roadmap and how people can support that work, is outlined in more detail on our Support page.
Origin Story-
From Matthew C. Walker, Founder.
The genesis of the name 'Boarding Axe Kitchen' stems from a rebellion against the stifling gatekeeping corporate environment faced by the founder, Matthew. Symbolically, it represented the raising of a black flag, a call to action to make a positive impact. Driven by a desire to contribute to others and find personal fulfillment, Matt, with a neurodivergent special interest passion for culinary arts, naturally fused this interest with a vision to help those in need. The 'Boarding Axe Project' existed informally since 2018 as a placeholder until the right moment, allowing the mission to crystallize and become clearer over time.
In an ideal scenario, winning the lottery would have transformed the Boarding Axe Kitchen, Inc. into a comprehensive service including a food shelf, soup kitchen, and mobile food trucks for on-site pop-up kitchens in critical areas. However, in reality, without such windfalls, the organization operates with available resources, striving to make the most significant impact they can with the resources on hand. The Executive Director collaborates with the Board of Directors to optimize strategies aligned with the overarching mission. This by itself brings another point. The Boarding Axe Kitchen is an incorporated Non-Profit on purpose, by law it cannot be a one man show. There is a system of checks and balances that keep the caricature of the tyrannical CEO away. If one of us becomes power hungry, if we treat people poorly, if we lack integrity and moral character, our bylaws outline how we can be removed from power and our little machine lives on, still fighting to achieve its mission.
‘We’, as in the corporation, were born out of frustration. Tired of hearing ‘what’ all of the world’s problems were, but no offer or effort of a solution. Just the subjugation to the social ceremony of verbal pugilism of the proselytizer’s pontifications. I would have been less frustrated if the answer to the questions or problems were at least sought. Not knowing the answer is fine. We as humans are imperfect beings and answers to the questions such as “How to solve world hunger”, “… bring world peace”, or “… stop human trafficking” are multifaceted and complex. However, it causes me discomfort to observe and participate in the finding of problems without at least an attempt at fixing them.
A punk, counter-culture, middle finger towards the white collar corporate environment spurred the planting of our flag in an effort to at least attempt to solve the problem of hunger and food insecurity. Futility be damned for a near incomprehensible scope. It makes no difference in the end whether this becomes the Last Charge of the Light Brigade or the Last Ride of the Rohirram. It is as good a hill to die on as any… I said self-righteously to myself as I typed my information into Legal Zoom so they could file my Articles of Incorporation with the State!
Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
The Board of Directors governs and oversees Boarding Axe Kitchen, providing strategic guidance, accountability, and stewardship. The board helps ensure that decisions align with the organization’s mission, values, and long-term sustainability.
