UPDATE 9/13/11
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Cabell Huntington Hospital announced Tuesday it is contributing another $50,000 to Ebenezer Medical Outreach to help keep Huntington’s Kitchen open for another year. This is the hospital’s third gift of $50,000 to the kitchen in the past two years.

According to a press release, since its opening in February 2010, Huntington’s Kitchen has provided at least one healthy cooking class to more than 930 people. Of these, 460 people have graduated from the kitchen’s 10-week “Basic Steps to Healthy Cooking” course and 48 low-income individuals have completed the “Cooking Matters” curriculum of free cooking and nutrition classes, sponsored by the Share Our Strength Foundation.

“Huntington’s Kitchen is touching lives in our community every day, and we are confident these efforts will eventually bear much-needed fruit in the form of improved health in our region,.” said Brent Marsteller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cabell Huntington Hospital

“We are so thankful for Cabell Huntington Hospital’s continued support of Huntington’s Kitchen,” said Yvonne Jones, Executive Director of Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc. “Without it, we would not be able to provide these valuable cooking classes to our community. Knowing how to cook nutritious and delicious meals is critical to improving our health.”

The contribution will allow Ebenezer Medical Outreach to hire a coordinator to identify and work with local farmers and food producers to sell their products to stores, restaurants and other businesses.

"We can also sell this produce and buy it at a great cost," says Andrea Leffingwell, director of Development for Ebenezer Medical Outreach, Inc. "It gives everyone access to local foods, and it makes us (Huntington's Kitchen) a little money to sustain the costs."

In addition to the cash donation, Cabell Huntington Hospital announced it will provide Huntington’s Kitchen and The Huntington’s Kitchen Fresh Market with marketing support to enhance communications with the community about cooking classes, course schedules and kitchen news, as well as information about the dates, times and locations for each offering of The Huntington’s Kitchen Fresh Market.

Earlier this month, Cabell Huntington Hospital was one of 10 hospitals nationwide to receive the National Hospital Charitable Service Award and a $10,000 prize for its extensive efforts to combat obesity and obesity-related disease.

"Certainly, I think the food revolution is a struggle," says Doug Sheils. He's Cabell Huntington's Hospital Marketing Director. "If it were easy, we would have solved this thing a long time ago. It's a very difficult problem; we can't just say we won't do anything."

The hospital has donated $100,000 to help train all cooks in Cabell County Schools to prepare lunches from scratch using fresh, whole ingredients; two donations of $50,000 each to fund two years of operations at Huntington’s Kitchen; the creation of the “Cabell Huntington Hospital Healthy Kids Play Place” at The Huntington Mall; and the sponsorship of major health education campaigns on WSAZ-TV and other local media outlets.

Cabell Huntington Hospital presented another $50,000 donation to keep operations going at Huntington's Kitchen for another year.

The kitchen was created last fall by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, and was turned over to Ebenezer Medical Outreach at the conclusion of his television series.

Since then, 375 people have participated in classes offered by the kitchen.

"Ebenezer Medical Outreach is so thankful that Cabell Huntington Hospital has agreed to continue its support of Huntington's Kitchen with another generous donation," said Yvonne Jones, Executive Director of Ebenezer Medical Outreach. "Without their support, we could not be able to continue to operate the kitchen."

"Cabell Huntington Hospital has been a fantastic supporter of the Food Revolution in Huntington," said chef Jamie Oliver in his video newsletter. "The Revolution gang has been visiting and keeping up to date with Huntington's Kitchen and the classes are packed with people learning to cook."

In addition to the contribution to Huntington's Kitchen, Cabell Huntington Hospital also contributed $100,000 to Cabell County Schools to help remove the majority of processed foods from school lunches, develop new menus and training for school cooks.

The keys to the backdrop of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's reality series have been turned over to Ebenezer Medical Outreach.

Jill Moore's helping to run the place.

"I'm just nervous how it's going to last, how it's going to go," she says. "I had to place my first food order last week, and that was a little intimidating."

It may seem intimidating because the challenge is new. Converting a working TV stage into a real working kitchen that promotes healthy eating has taken money and time. Cabell Huntington Hospital helped with a $50,000 check. Now, it's just a matter of whether people show up.

The calendar is simple -- 10 classes for 10 weeks. The cost? A requested donation of $10. The classes will focus on recipes created by Oliver. The recipes promote healthy, fresh ingredients rather than frozen or processed food.

Jill Moore is just back from classes in England. She's trained with Oliver's crew on how to run things.

"I think it will surprise people how quick and easy it can be," she says. "When you first see some of the recipes you're like, "Oh, wow!' But in the end they're very simple."

Huntington's Kitchen is located at 911 3rd Ave. in downtown Huntington -- just across from Pullman Square.