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One of the biggest challenges facing families in the TL is lack of space. Families who live in SRO's have a small kitchen in the unit or they will use electrical devices in their rooms to prepare their meals.

Providing a communal kitchen will allow families to have space to make their meals safely and without sanitation issues that may arise when cooking in a small room. A shared kitchen can allow groups to form who can share the work of preparing, serving and cleaning up a meal. Food pantries can be co located at communal kitchens and if possible/practical allow families to store food.

Communal kitchen can also provide cooking classes for families and kids. Teaching recipes that take advantage of food provided by pantries and/or nearby stores. Kitchens may be formed to support food from specific regions and can help strengthen communities.

Communal kitchens can be open daily or weekly. They can be setup permanently in unused commercial kitchens or set up (safely and meeting fire codes) with multiple camp stoves. One (of many) challenges will be providing adequate water and sanitation for the kitchens.

In doing a little bit of research I found that this idea is happening around the world:
Peru:
http://www.globalenvision.org/2008/08/07/cooking-hope-empowering-women-through-community-kitchens-peru

Seattle:
http://seattletilth.org/communitykitchensnw

India:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-15/rajkot/31062341_1_community-kitchen-tiffins-dawoodi-bohra-community