Food insecurity is an issue with the rising cost of groceries in today's society. Learning to cook is a life skill that students can learn, and by bringing in local mentors, our students have the opportunity to learn how to make traditional meals from our area, from local community members. Our students can connect with these individuals and provide a meal, bringing a smile to everyone's face.
We reach out to the community to see if anyone is willing to donate ingredients for our planned meal. In the same post, we include a Google Form for those who are interested in receiving a meal. On the day of, a select group of volunteer students get an afternoon to spend in the kitchen with our local expert. They start from scratch and work through cooking and plating the entire meal, following food safety procedures. Then pack up a vehicle, a deliver the meals to those who filled out the form or were nominated, and those who we already knew need a meal. With the deliveries, we often have a conversation, or go in and help them with some small tasks.
We constantly have people wondering when the next supper club will be. We have folks who are looking for a meal, as well as folks who want to volunteer their time. It is the top attended extra-curricular in our school, by most of our junior and senior high students. We have also created a Share-A-Meal, where students create a meal that is then served to other students in our school. Families get access to a form and can select whether their child would like a meal at lunchtime and/or one to take home in the evening.
Pick a meal, get a group of volunteers together, and get a leader (adult). Reach out to your community for interest for donations and for meals, and then pick a day to cook with the students! You can offer them as a pick-up service or for drop off, depending on your vehicle availability.
