I have been cooking with some of the residents at the Ruth and Naomi House in Rome. This opportunity began with me meeting with Reverend Devon Smyth and a Berry Scholar student named Kelly. They provided me with a tour of the house and specifically the kitchen. Together, we decided I would plan to cook with the residents twice a month. I take all of the supplies and ingredients, and we cook together!
The purpose of my project is to provide an activity the residents can complete together and recipes the women can use in the future. They will one day be living in their own homes, and I want them to take what they learn and apply it to their life. I'm happy that I can do that for them and they are able to learn and get excited about cooking.
The women and I have cooked together twice, and we made Halloween cookies, ham and swiss cheese party sandwiches, and Chex mix covered in white chocolate. The kitchen at the house needed some extra supplies, such as baking sheets, so I am donating the supplies I use to cook with as well. In the future, I want to plan a Saturday to go to the house and cook a larger meal with the residents. I am going to begin with lasagna, salad, and dessert. I am planning on asking the residents what they would like to cook together.
I am going to create a cookbook for the residents they can have at the end of the school year. I will be using the program Canva to create the recipes, and I have provided examples with this blog. My plan is to ask the Darlington faculty to contribute their ideas to the book. I will include the recipes we cook together and others.
I am thankful for this opportunity to give back to my community while exploring my passion for cooking. I enjoy the time I get to spend at the shelter while working and cooking with the women.
Click here to hear more about the scope of my project.
The Senior Ventures leadership program is a year-long senior project built on a framework of leadership, innovation, and community engagement. The topic and the project design are chosen by an individual student or a pair of students, and the journey is guided by Darlington faculty as well as mentors in the community. Most projects fall into one of the following categories: Investigation, Performance, Entrepreneurship, and Outreach. Candidates are selected according to proposal quality, feasibility, and commitment.
