“I am so happy that I have landed with Vetri Community Partnership,” Wendy says. “I’ve been a fan of Marc Vetri’s restaurants for years, and I admire his commitment to providing access, through community, to nutritious food and helping people of all ages and backgrounds learn to cook.”
After retiring from a 40-year career in mental health, 31 of which were spent working in the field of eating disorders, Wendy was looking for a meaningful way to stay involved and give back. She found it in the kitchens and classrooms of Vetri Community Partnership.
Throughout her career, Wendy educated healthcare professionals on eating disorders and helped patients access life-changing treatment. As someone who has always loved cooking and embraced a mostly vegetarian lifestyle, she knows the transformative power of nourishing food.
“When I landed in the field of eating disorders, I helped patients learn that food is medicine,” she says. “I know how important making, serving, and eating unprocessed food with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can be.”
Since joining Vetri Community Partnership as a volunteer, Wendy has supported Vetri Cooking Lab, Cooking for Heart Health, and Community Cooking Classes for Seniors. The common thread in all of her experiences? Joy, growth, and connection.
“It has been so joyful working with seniors, adults, and students in your fabulous Teaching Kitchen,” she shares. “I love that participants are being introduced to new foods, learning about nutrition, and mastering cooking skills.”
She especially values watching how participants bond throughout the classes, where people of all ages, backgrounds, and comfort levels in the kitchen come together to create and share a meal. “It’s wonderful to see them become more confident with each class and learn that they can incorporate these foods and skills into their lives, which can potentially improve their health,” Wendy says. “Most importantly, it seems so obvious to me that in this fractured world, building a community of strangers from all walks of life who connect over preparing and sharing a meal in a safe space can be so healing. Again, food is medicine!”
After exploring other volunteer opportunities, Wendy says it simply: “I feel like I have found exactly what I enjoy doing with the Vetri Community Partnership.”
We’re so grateful for Wendy’s passion, wisdom, and generous spirit. Her story is a powerful reminder of how food, education, and community can come together to make a lasting impact, not just on program participants, but on the volunteers who make our work possible.
