The effort is called Neighborhood Cooking Project. The project happens every third Wednesday of the month and is located at the heart of the Madrona neighborhood in Seattle—just a block away from our Seattle office. To volunteer, simply show up, bring your own knife, chopping board, peeler and apron—then cook away. You prep, peel, slice, fry, grill, boil and set.
Christine Horvath and Eileen Suico volunteered on April 15, 2015 from 9am to 1pm. It was their first time to join in this beautiful effort. They worked alongside residents, families, business owners and many others working in the neighborhood to prepare gourmet meals that will serve the homeless people through a number of organizations in the Seattle area already doing great work in the city. A few of these organizations are: YWCA, The Blaine Center, Angeline’s Center for Women and a few more.
The gentleman standing between Christine and Eileen in photo is John Platt, one of the founders and the Lead Chef in this project. He has been cooking for the homeless since 2001. St. Clouds, the restaurant where all foods are cooked, prepped and sent out from is owned by John Platt and Paul Butler. Both were teachers for several years at Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma before they both established St Clouds and then founded Homeless Cooking Project. According to John, “We’re providing an hour of dignity and good food to people who find too little of both in their lives.”
“I have heard many times of the hopelessness in the life of someone experiencing homelessness, but a simple gesture to extend honor either by a simple chat or in this case, well prepped gourmet meal, can reawaken hope and set someone up to a new path of trying life out again.” ~ Eileen Suico
Christine and Eileen are doing this again on Wednesday, May 20th.
For more information about this project: http://www.neighborhoodcooking.org/
[By Eileen Suico]