Through the Bread and Roses Baking Club at Andover High, I baked desserts that were donated to the Bread and Roses soup kitchen. I also baked goods independently for the Lazarus House Soup Kitchen, and I cooked breakfast for the residents of the Lazarus House Family Shelter.

Nationally, the number of people dealing with food insecurity has doubled since the beginning of the pandemic. Locally, forty six percent of Massachusetts residents face low food security. By volunteering with Lazarus House and Bread and Roses soup kitchens, I have been able to help the people in Lawrence and surrounding areas. The Lazarus House Good Shepherd soup kitchen serves more than 300 people every day for breakfast and lunch. The baked goods that I made were given to people picking up lunch at the soup kitchen. In the past year, the Bread and Roses Kitchen has given out over seventeen thousand Grab & Go meals. The baked goods that I made for them were given to people in their Grab & Go bags. The family shelter at Lazarus House houses up to 25 people in five private family suites. The residents at the house benefited from the nutritious egg frittata breakfast that I cooked and delivered.

Throughout the process of baking goods and delivering them to the soup kitchens, along with cooking for the residents, I have seen the impact that having easily accessible food can make for people in need. I am fortunate enough to be able to go out to the store and buy food whenever I want to without having to worry about the cost. Delivering the food to the soup kitchens had a big impact on me because the people at the door were always so thankful for whatever I was bringing, and it was eye opening to see how happy the workers at the soup kitchen were upon receiving a loaf of homemade banana bread. When I delivered the home cooked breakfast to the Family Shelter, I was given a little peek into what they experience daily.