Rorie Orgeron became CEO of The Kitchen Inc. at a particularly trying time for the nonprofit sector.
Orgeron joined the Springfield charity in 2005 as its chief operations officer, and in 2007, he was named director of development. In April 2008, he was appointed interim CEO and became the Kitchen’s permanent point man just six weeks later – right as financial difficulties were starting to become the norm in the U.S.
“I became the CEO just as Springfield was feeling the pain of the recession,” Orgeron says. “The demand for services increased significantly while the financial support decreased.”
His first challenge: analyzing the viability of services within The Kitchen, which provides programs for the poor and homeless.
“Our challenge was to make sure our community neighbors found assistance with shelter, food, clothing and medical care at The Kitchen,” Orgeron says. “We, as an organization, pledged to fulfill our mission and to ensure the services our clients needed would be available.”
The need for those services has increased throughout Orgeron’s tenure.
In 2008, The Kitchen’s food pantry served 39,700 individuals with groceries and provided clothing for 12,900. Fast-forward to 2011, the nonprofit increased the number of groceries it gave by 68 percent to 67,000 people, and 17,000 people received free clothing.
Brian Fogle, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and a former president and board member of The Kitchen Board of Trustees, says Orgeron has continued to be a strong leader for The Kitchen.
“The demand for services skyrocketed, yet The Kitchen has been able to help meet the additional needs through the steady leadership of Rorie,” Fogle says. “He has worked very well with other agencies in helping to meet the demands of the homeless and at-risk homeless population.”
Orgeron’s community memberships include Rotary Club of Springfield North, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit Roundtable, Neighbor for Neighbor and Knights of Columbus Council No. 9533.
At The Kitchen, Orgeron says he relies on the community and his staff to push and reinforce The Kitchen’s efforts. In January, the nonprofit’s Missouri Hotel caught fire, forcing 185 adults and children to leave their home.
“Our community, city leaders, emergency management, local hospitals, businesses, churches and other nonprofits stepped up immediately to assist in finding shelter, personal care items, clothing and food for our residents,” he says. “The Kitchen staff worked day and night to ensure everyone was taken care of and was safe.
“To see all the people from different businesses and organizations work together for the welfare of our residents was remarkable.”
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