On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, our Teen Advisory Board prepared and served a special dinner to the homeless at our local shelter, Fourth and Hope. The idea stemmed from one of the TAB members wanting to get to know the local homeless and grew into this service project.

TAB served in multiple ways. One group decorated the dining hall in Valentines Day decorations purchased from Dollar Tree and handmade Valentines Cards. They also gave away free children’s books.

The second group cooked and prepared the dinner which consisted of making meatballs from grass-fed beef, spinach and spices,  stirring a huge pot of gluten-free pasta, and making the sauce from cans of tomatoes. TAB members cut loaves of bread and other members opened cans of fruit and mixed salads.

While we were cooking the meatballs, the grease trap caught on fire! Apparently, it had not been cleaned out from the night before so the grease from the meatballs caught fire. Luckily, staff was nearby to help put out the fire and no one was injured and we didn’t burn down the kitchen.

It was quite the experience and the teens enjoyed giving back to their community. We definitely learned how to communicate effectively and appreciate the operation that goes behind cooking meals for at least a 100 people. Many of the people who received dinner were very thankful and expressed their gratitude to the teens for serving.

Mia, 8th grader from Woodland Christian:

 I wanted to help out at Fourth and Hope to show the homeless community of Woodland that they are loved and that people sincerely care for them. It made me so happy to see how thrilled they were with the food and the decorations we had prepared. I loved working with my fellow TAB members and helping them make someone’s Valentines Day so memorable and special. 

Anoushka, 12th grader from Pioneer High:

On Valentine’s Day, TAB went to Fourth & Hope (a homeless shelter) to make and serve a Valentine’s Day dinner. I helped prepare the food and some of the decorations, and I had a great time! It was a really eye-opening experience for me, partly because I had never gone through the whole preparation process of getting the food ready for the needy. It made me proud to be a part of TAB, and I can’t wait to do it again.