This July, Toni’s Kitchen gave middle school students an opportunity to see how a community turns concern for its neighbors into action. Through four week-long Kids at the Kitchen camps, rising sixth- through eighth-grade students took part in the many interconnected efforts that bring food and other forms of support to local families, seniors, and individuals.
Campers took part in many stages of getting food and other essentials to neighbors. They sorted produce and donated clothing for Neighborhood Mobile Markets, made sandwiches, assembled jars of chocolate chip cookie ingredients for Sunday grocery deliveries to local families, and created care packages for seniors. At the Choice Pantry, they helped set up for grocery distribution, handed out sandwiches, and assisted guests in selecting books from a small library they helped establish outside the pantry.
Taken together, the projects showed students the range of ways Toni’s Kitchen and the surrounding community respond when neighbors need assistance. Some guests need a prepared meal. Others need to choose groceries, food delivered to their homes, or useful items that can make daily life a little easier.
Understanding those differences was central to the camp.
Julie Camp, the Toni’s staff member who developed and manages the program, said the students were encouraged to consider the reasons behind every assignment. While preparing food, they discussed why dining room meals and grocery services meet different needs. While assembling senior care packages, they talked about the circumstances that can make home delivery important for an older adult and why particular items were included.
“We remind them that there are so many different people in the community who need so many different things,” Julie said. “Our job is to try to meet those different needs for people where they are.”
At the end of the week, campers reflected on what they had experienced and which activities had stayed with them. They then welcomed their parents for a tour, guiding them through Toni’s Kitchen and explaining the work in their own words.
The students left with more than a list of completed projects. They had seen how neighbors, volunteers, donors and staff combine their efforts to make a broad network of food and support possible — and how young people can become part of that effort.
Families interested in ways for children and teens to get involved with Toni’s Kitchen can contact julie@toniskitchen.org.
