As we reflect back on a year of full of growth and learning we want to take a deeper look at how food and learning the skills to cook a meal has impacted and shaped the lives of our staff members, our donors and of course our students.
We asked the question “what does food and cooking mean to you?” along with what does “food as a community mean to you?” We are inspired and moved by the thoughtful answered we received.
Our students at Morton McMichael Elementary shared:
Derrick: “It reminds me of my aunt who died. She was such a good cook…mac and cheese, turkey, you name it. Cooking makes me think of my mom too. My family.”
Shaniyah: “Food is delicious. I love cooking my own food because then I have something delicious, I can eat whenever I want”
One of our students, Jaden Smith at Duckery, echoed something similar saying that food means “a sense of comfort”.
Maddy Booth, our COO and interim CEO, shared her thoughts on what food and cooking means to her saying “Food is joy and cooking allows for my curiosity (and me!) to be well fed.”
Sharing a story about an impactful moment with food and sharing a meal, Maddy emphasized the importance of food as a community: “In the first year of Vetri Cooking Lab, one of our educators supplemented a lesson with from-scratch pita so that the group could ‘break bread’ together. This reinforced for me the importance of food as community – sharing sustenance and nourishment through delicious recipes and meaningful relationships. The meals that we share with others are more than what’s on our plate.”
We will be sharing more stories and quotes throughout the month of December.
