High school students cooking from scratch for 150 people on a Sunday evening? Absolutely! Members of Working to Help the Homeless (WTHH), a Belmont High School club, went to Rosie’s Place in Boston on March 17, ready to be chefs for a day at their annual catering gig at Rosie’s. Fundraising for the event occurred in late November , while the shopping at Costco to pick up provisions took place on Friday afternoon.
Eleven WTHH members, chosen by lot, were accompanied by Alice Melnikoff, the club advisor, who quickly taught the students everything they needed to know in order to whip up chicken parmesan, salad, pasta, and brownie sundaes. The entire club membership had baked batches of brownies to add a homemade touch to the dinner.
The students set up the dining room, ran a bingo game, prepared dinner, and cleaned up afterward.
The evening was a huge success. Not only did Rosie’s guests appreciate the delicious meal, but the WTHH students agreed that the experience itself was both fun and meaningful.
Rosie’s Place opened in 1974 as the nation’s first emergency shelter for women. Rosie’s takes no federal or state government funding and provides many types of service for their clients. If you’d like further information, go to http://www.rosiesplace.org.