This Thanksgiving is different. I was blessed to plan a meal for 100 and oversee 45 of my high school foods students carrying out this endeavor. Today we did it. Over 105 plus some extras. It included faculty administrators, counselors, parents and guardians, maintenance staff and identified needy students. We had thirty of these trays packaged by my foods students for our needy students at our high school.
We call our program Cougar PAWS and it truly consisted of our students in action for this grand feast.
Imagine a needy student/family receiving a hearty meal like this one including pies/cakes for dessert.
I just wish the students could have heard all the reactions from the maintenance staff and needy students when they received their meals. Some reactions included:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. My wife doesn’t cook turkey. This is our only turkey.
Does this cost anything? How much does it cost?
Really? I can take leftovers home?
Thank you, Mrs. Brown, thank you, thank you.
I watched some students peel back the cover before they left the classroom. I had a maintenance worker give me a hug and one pat me on the back. Another told me I would be blessed.
Of course, I’m already blessed to give to those in need. My prayer is for my students to be impacted by this event and continue on giving. What a gift on Thanksgiving to cook for 100.
God has blessed me with the gift of serving others and supportive faculty, parents and community to carry out this project.
After all the hard work of reheating, cleaning, sharing, dividing, cutting, pouring, serving, standing, washing, wiping, packaging and wishing Happy Thanksgiving it was all worth it. One simple smile or one simple thank you would suffice. However, countless thank you’s, hugs, a pat on the back and smiles galore filled my cup to the brim.
One little note left on my desk melted my heart…
Simple gifts…
My cup overflows with thankfulness.
My blessed Thanksgiving. God bless your Thanksgiving.
Read more at CougarKitchen for our details about our meal for 100