One in 500.
One in 9.
One in 4.
As reported in January 2024 by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 653,104 Americans were considered “homeless,” that is one in every 500 people. People experiencing homelessness include people living in emergency shelters, traditional shelters, safe havens, hotels/motels, or those who are not able to stay in a home for more than 14 days. And those who are considered unsheltered live outdoors, in cars, abandoned buildings or other places unfit for human habitation.
As stated by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), every minute practically 20 people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Their statistics further to about one in every 9 men and one in every 4 women, who have experienced violence by their intimate partner, stalking, PTSD and/or use of victim services etc. “On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide,” as revealed by the NCADV.
There are many ways to contribute to organizations to help aid other suffering from these issues but what if you could follow a passion of yours for a cause such as these?
On March 3, 2024, at the Carlisle Expo Center, 3 junior culinary students, Emad Ateim, Benjamin O’Connor, and Nathaniel Tofte, from Carlisle High School participated in a Soup Cook Off event. The Soup Cook Off was run by the AKT, a local organization that provides supplies and resources to people who are just overcoming homelessness or escaping domestic violence. All proceeds of the charity event went towards providing essentials for others suffering from those issues, to which they raised “about $4,000,” according to Facebook.
Jessica Lavender, communications for the AKTs event explained, “The Soup Cook Off is a fun and friendly competition where local restaurants and amateur chefs can showcase their best soups and the public can taste and vote for their favorites.[…] We believe that high school students have a lot of talent and creativity when it comes to cooking, and we would love to see what they can come up with.”
All 3 students were awarded 1st place and a trophy in the Junior division of the cook off; for their 6 gallons of chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp gumbo served over New Orleans dirty rice, for which they served just about 500 portions of.
Carey Ehily, Chef at Carlisle’s culinary program, expressed that “It was a long day for the students. They began their day at 8:00 am and finished up at 5:00 pm, after serving 500 portions of Gumbo. All students enjoyed the experience and were very enthusiastic during the event.”
This experience was an insightful way for students to get experience with serving and producing food alongside helping their local community.
