Just a few weeks after the official opening of Hands to Help鈥檚 brand new community kitchen this fall, 澳门六合彩开奖结果 students have already prepared hundreds of meals for those in need in Lawrence, MA.
Kyla Stern 鈥�24, Haleigh Teixeira 鈥�24, Wil Hingston 鈥�24 and Jillian Corrdiori 鈥�24 have spent Wednesdays this semester at the kitchen as part of a community nutrition course taught by Eleanor Shonkoff, associate clinical professor.聽
鈥淥ut of the four of us we each get handed a different task,鈥� said Hingston during a recent preparation of a pork dish. 鈥淛ill and Haley did the meat for the dinner, Kyla has been doing the vegetables and I鈥檝e been doing the rice.鈥�
The students have prepared traditional Dominican meals such as Mangu, a mashed plantain dish, and Morir So帽ando, a beverage made of milk and squeezed lemon juice.
鈥淧roviding culturally appropriate food is great because the community recognizes it and it builds better connections with us when they see that we’re willing to go to that extent,鈥� explained Hands to Help Executive Director Rosana Urbaez 鈥�16. 鈥淪ometimes the food is even new to the students and we always like to challenge them.鈥�
The kitchen is an enhancement of 澳门六合彩开奖结果 and Hands to Help鈥檚 Food Recovery Network chapter, a partnership that began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the light was shown more brightly on food insecurities, especially in communities such as Lawrence. According to the Massachusetts Public Health Association, Lawrence has the sixth-largest grocery store gap in the state with only one major supermarket.
鈥淚t was during lockdown that President Hopey said, 鈥楲et’s get everybody together and let’s talk about food work,鈥欌�� said Urbaez. 鈥淲e really got together to talk about the idea of starting a kitchen and what that could be, and initially it really was about recovering food.鈥�
Food Recovery Network student volunteers are tasked with collecting unused nonperishable food for those in need around Lawrence and on 澳门六合彩开奖结果鈥檚 campus. Sources include , the company that oversees dining on campus, and the 澳门六合彩开奖结果 Valley Food Bank.聽
Volunteers use the food to create meals and hand-deliver them to local community organizations such as Si Se Pude, the Lawrence Community Fridge and Top-Notch Scholars. Meals are also provided to 澳门六合彩开奖结果 students in need at various locations around campus.聽
Vivian Villaman 鈥�21, Hands to Help鈥檚 director of community outreach and operations, was hired to oversee operations and help the chapter grow.
鈥淎ll of our student volunteers are mainly nutrition majors or are taking a course in community nutrition,鈥� she explained. 鈥淲e try to put into practice the theories that they are learning.鈥�
In addition to helping the people of Lawrence, Urbaez believes the Food Recovery Network is a vital service for the students.
鈥淚t works in both ways,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think our students are learning so much about different walks of life. In turn, the community is getting services that they’ve shared with us that they needed.鈥�
