FOSTORIA | Sharing Kitchen Plans Spring 2027 Rebuild After Demolishing North Main Building

Photo of demolished building.

FOSTORIA, Ohio — Sharing Kitchen of Fostoria plans to break ground in spring 2027 on a new building at 321 N. Main St., according to its website. The original kitchen on that site, which the organization said was condemned after a structural failure in 2024, was demolished earlier this year.

The website, reviewed Nov. 10, 2026, says a new, fully accessible facility is being designed for the same property by RCM Architects of Findlay. It lists the project cost as $900,866, says about $600,000 has already been secured, and says about $300,000 is still needed “to close the gap and break ground.” A FAQ page says the organization hopes to be “open and serving by the following winter.”

Sharing Kitchen of Fostoria (EIN 34-1661501) is a 501(c)(3) charity, tax-exempt since April 1991, that has long described its work as serving a free hot meal three days a week. Its website is sharingkitchen.org, and its public email is [email protected]. The organization uses the street address at 321 N. Main St. and P.O. Box 183, Fostoria, OH 44830.

What happened to the old building

In February 2024, 13abc reported a recently discovered structural defect at the century-old building. The story said the main dining and kitchen area was closed, but food was still being handed out at the front. Michael Stahl, identified in that report as the kitchen’s manager, a retired Fostoria firefighter and the son-in-law of founder Phyllis Hulderman, said: “We’re in a lot of trouble, and then with a 120-year-old building, if they start pulling the top off, the walls may crumble too.” He also said that if repairs would cost a lot of money, “then we just need to take the building down and we just put up a very economical brand-new building.”

The organization’s current website says a structural failure in 2024 forced it to close its doors for the first time in more than 40 years, and that the building was condemned and later “safely demolished.”

Public posts and later filings describe the path from that closure to demolition:

• A Facebook post dated April 27, 2025, said an asbestos inspection needed before demolition should be done within 30 days.
• A Facebook post dated Aug. 7, 2025, said asbestos had been removed the previous week and that the organization was “hopeful to be rebuilt by the end of this year.”
• A Facebook post dated Feb. 10, 2026, said, “Building is coming down!!!! Finally. So Thankful!” The Fostoria Free Press reported on Feb. 12, 2026, that demolition for the rebuild began that week.
• A Facebook post dated Aug. 2, 2026, said the original building “has now been safely demolished after serious structural problems made repairs impossible.”

The 2025 Form 990, signed May 14, 2026, by Director Ann Stahl, says the organization “purchased the adjacent building and property” in 2025 “to facilitate the safe demolition of the condemned structure and provide additional space for parking and rebuilding.” Land book value on the return rose from $15,000 at the end of 2024 to $45,000 at the end of 2025. The return does not name the adjacent parcel’s address or purchase price. A search of the City of Fostoria website found no indexed permits, zoning actions, or council items mentioning the project. That is an absence of online results, not proof that no paper permit exists.

Meals

Before the building problems, the organization described serving about 100 meals a day, three days a week. The 2025 Form 990 says that after the building was condemned, Sharing Kitchen partnered with local churches and set up pickup locations for warm soup and sandwiches, and that service fell to about 20 meals a day. It says about 150 volunteers continued to help with food preparation and distribution. The partner churches are not named on the return.

The current website says that when the new doors open, the kitchen “will resume serving warm, nutritious meals at least three days a week.” That wording indicates sit-down service at 321 N. Main St. is not happening now. It does not say whether church-partner pickups have continued in 2026. Fostoria Free Press food-assistance guides updated in October 2026 do not list the Sharing Kitchen as a current Fostoria meal site.

Finances

The organization’s latest IRS Form 990 covers the calendar year that ended Dec. 31, 2025. It was e-filed May 13, 2026, and signed the next day by Stahl. The figures below are from that return and the 2023 and 2024 Forms 990, as compiled from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer renderings of the IRS e-file.

As of Dec. 31, 2025, the return reported $60,776 in cash and $777,643 in savings and temporary cash investments, or $838,419 together. Land, buildings and equipment were listed at a book value of $60,000. Liabilities were $0. Donor-restricted net assets were $0. Officer and employee compensation was $0, and the return listed no paid staff. Government grants were $0.

Of the $29,029 in 2025 revenue, $10,287 came from contributions and $18,742 from investment income. In a note on the return, Stahl attributed the drop in contributions to “disruption of operations, changes to service model, and donor uncertainty during rebuilding.”

The website’s fundraising figures — about $600,000 secured and about $300,000 still needed toward a $900,866 project — were posted as of Nov. 10, 2026. The Form 990 is a year-end snapshot as of Dec. 31, 2025, before the February 2026 demolition. The 2026 return, which would include demolition and any other spending this year, has not been filed. It would ordinarily be due in mid-2027.

History and leadership

The organization’s About page says Phyllis Hulderman opened the Sharing Kitchen on Jan. 24, 1983, in the basement of “Fostoria’s Lutheran Church,” and that the group bought 321 N. Main St. in 1990 so guests who walk or bike could reach it. The page says the kitchen has provided more than 6,500 days of service and more than 625,000 meals; those are the organization’s figures and were not independently audited for this report. IRS filings list a 1985 year of formation. The About page and 13abc both reported that Hulderman died in late 2023.

The same five people appear on the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Forms 990, all with $0 in compensation:

• Ann Stahl, director and principal officer, 40 hours a week on the 2024 and 2025 returns
• Michael Stahl, trustee, 40 hours
• Herman Hulderman, trustee, 10 hours on the 2025 return
• John Kleinfelter, trustee, 0 hours
• Virginia Sanders, trustee, 0 hours

Schedule O on those returns states that Michael and Ann Stahl are husband and wife, and that Ann Stahl is the daughter of Herman Hulderman.

The 2025 Schedule O also states: “The organization does not have a formal procedure in place for reviewing Form 990.” It says governing documents, a conflict-of-interest policy and financial statements are “made available per request.”

Prior report of an Attorney General complaint

On Nov. 21, 2025, the Fostoria Free Press reported that a complaint had been filed with the Ohio Attorney General’s office requesting an audit of the Sharing Kitchen. Screenshots published with that article showed a “Complaint Successfully Submitted” dialog with tracking number 5425208633 and an on-screen time of 11/21/2025 15:57:25. The complaint text visible in those screenshots cited “over $815,000 in cash assets according to 2023 IRS 990 Form” and asked for a complete audit.

A review of public sources completed Nov. 10, 2026, did not independently confirm the filing or its status on the Attorney General’s public websites, and no public Attorney General determination, lawsuit or completed audit naming the organization was found. Whether an IRS Form 13909 referral mentioned in the complaint text was actually filed has not been verified.

The 2023 Form 990 reported $815,716 in total assets, of which $785,716 was cash and savings and $30,000 was property.

Sharing Kitchen of Fostoria was not contacted for comment for this draft, which is based on public records, the organization’s website and prior news coverage.

Sources

• Sharing Kitchen website: https://www.sharingkitchen.org/; About; Donate; FAQ
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/341661501
• 2025 Form 990: Form 990; Schedule D; Schedule O
• 2024 Form 990: Form 990; Schedule D; Schedule O
• 2023 Form 990: Form 990; Schedule D; Schedule O
• 13abc, Feb. 2, 2024: https://www.13abc.com/2024/02/02/sharing-kitchen-fostoria-continues-share-during-possible-rebuild/
• Facebook page and third-party archive used for dated posts: https://www.facebook.com/oursharingkitchen/; https://www.ngos1.com/US/Fostoria/102761716167463/Fostoria-Sharing-Kitchen
• Fostoria Free Press, Feb. 12, 2026 (demolition): https://thefostoriafreepress.com/fostoria-sharing-kitchen-demolition-for-rebuild-began-this-week/
• Fostoria Free Press, Nov. 21, 2025 (AG complaint report): https://thefostoriafreepress.com/2-a-financial-audit-request-of-the-fostoria-sharing-kitchen-has-been-filed-with-ohio-attorney-general/
• Fostoria Free Press food guides: https://thefostoriafreepress.com/food-pantries-and-free-meals-in-fostoria-ohio/; https://thefostoriafreepress.com/food-banks-and-pantries-in-seneca-county-hours-and-how-to-get-help/