Kids Unlimited educators say their students learn more than pasta making skills. They gain a sense of belonging and of being celebrated. Photo by Kids Unlimited.
Southern Oregon
Pasta with a Purpose
Pastabilities Unlimited gives kids in Medford the opportunity to start a business and create nutritious meals from scratch.
On a quiet corner in Medford’s Liberty Park neighborhood, former car dealership sales office is getting a second life. Inside, teens from the neighborhood roll and cut fresh pasta they learned to make by hand. They’re preparing to sell it to customers who may not realize each bag of noodles is part of a much bigger story.
“Pasta with a Purpose” also creates delicious meals for the community. Photo by Kids Unlimited.
The project is called Pastabilities, and at its heart is a simple idea: give young people a chance to learn and earn a wage while helping to feed their community. Tom Cole, founder and CEO of Kids Unlimited, has spent 28 years building programs that strengthen families in one of the most underserved areas of southern Oregon. Pastabilities, he says, is the natural next step.
“What we recognized in this was that it met a food need,” Cole said. “It connected our relationships to local farms, and most importantly it had a purpose to connect kids and community.”
Kids Unlimited already serves 40,000 meals a month made from scratch for students who live in low-income neighborhoods of Medford. During the pandemic, staff looked for simple activities families could do together at home. Making fresh pasta quickly became a favorite. As interest grew, so did the possibilities. Teens began experimenting with noodles and sauces. Participation surged. Cole and his team saw something taking shape.
Oregon Community Foundation helped incubate the idea, providing early support as the program evolved from a hands-on classroom activity into a small but growing food business. With that help, Kids Unlimited invested in equipment, partnered with local farms and launched a booth at the Medford farmers market. Students produced about 75 pounds of fresh pasta each week. It often sold out within hours.
Kids Unlimited’s fresh pasta making activities became so popular, they sold out at local farmers markets. Photo by Kids Unlimited.
Students get experiential learning opportunities
Local vineyards wanted to carry pasta boxes. Community events asked for taste tests. Confidence grew. Then came the bold step: Kids Unlimited purchased the vacant drive-through next to its campus and began planning a pasta restaurant operated by students.
Cole said the goal has never been only about noodles. “At the core of it is an experiential learning opportunity,” he said.
Mayra Duran echoes that thought. She is a parent of a child at Kids Unlimited Academy and president of the Parent Teacher Organization. She says programs like Pastabilities offer students what she calls ‘magical moments.’
Video by Kids Unlimited provides context for why a simple program to make fresh pasta makes a big difference in students’ lives.
“The feeling of belonging, the feeling of being seen, and the feeling of being celebrated, for being part of our family, being part of the Kids Unlimited family and being part of a community that wants you to grow, thrive and experience life in a new way.”
Students participate in every part of the operation from culinary skills to accounting to marketing. They also take part in a parallel online chef academy and work with professional chefs, including national culinary mentor Ron Duprat from the Bravo Food Network.
Fresh meals can be a lifeline to the community
Pastabilities is happening in a neighborhood considered a food desert, where access to high-quality, nutritious meals can be a lifeline. The Liberty Park area faces high poverty, incarceration rates and limited access to healthy food.
OCF Board Member Dee Anne Everson of the United Way of Jackson County, OCF President and CEO Lisa Mensah, Kids Unlimited Founder and CEP Tom Cole and Lupita Vargas, Director of Educational Services at Kids Unlimited
“A lot of our families are facing challenges with drugs and rehab. There are a lot of families that are in shelters,” said Lupita Vargas, Director of Educational Services at Kids Unlimited. “There's not a lot of access to a grocery store or a place where they can really get a substantial meal or just the materials to make this.”
Cole believes the model can both sustain itself and address systemic food inequities.
“We are trying to develop a model that can be sustainable, but we also think it can be a food solution,” he said. Pastabilities, he says, is one way to challenge negative narratives and show what is possible when opportunity, education and community pride come together.
The plan is for the drive-through restaurant to open this year, offering carry-out meals to the public and nutrition classes for families. Every sale supports Kids Unlimited programs. Every recipe connects young people to their community. Every bowl of pasta represents the mission that started it all.
Kids Unlimited calls it ‘pasta with a purpose,’ and for Cole the lesson is simple. When young people are given real responsibility and real opportunity, they rise. And sometimes they create something delicious along the way.
If you’re inspired by stories like this and want to make a difference in your own way, we’re here to help you get started. Join us to create a fund, support a cause, and be part of Oregon’s shared success. To learn more, connect with an OCF philanthropic advisor.