Throughout March, students in my 7th grade Introduction to Foreign Languages classes participated in a French Food Service Project, made possible by an OTA mini grant. Students researched recipes from French-speaking countries and then prepared a dish for the class to enjoy. Each class voted on the best dish, based on its taste and ability to serve a group of forty people. Christine Downs, OCS School Lunch Manager, visited both classes and taught students how to convert a recipe for four into one that would serve forty. Victoria Langling, Co-Founder & Director of the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Woodstock, gave a wonderful presentation about the history of the soup kitchen, the community it serves, and hunger in our area. Students participated actively in the discussion and asked numerous questions.
Students then spoke with the managers of Boiceville Market, Hurley Ridge Market and Hannaford’s in Kingston to request donations of ingredients. The majority of the ingredients needed for the recipes were donated!
On Friday, March 31, under the guidance of Mrs. Downs, Mr. Kothe and myself, students prepared five Quiches Lorraines, two giant containers of potato leek soup and forty individual servings of chocolate mousse! I took the food to the Soup Kitchen, along with brie cheese to accompany the bread, which was provided by Bread Alone. When I entered the soup kitchen with the food and shared the menu with everyone, an older gentleman said, “Vive la France!” Another man said he would enjoy it more because it was specially prepared by the 7th grade students. Everyone was appreciative of the work that went into preparing the meal, and the students had a great time cooking in the OCS cafeteria. This Food Project provided a good opportunity for students to learn not only about French food and how to prepare it, but about hunger in our region, the resources available to our community members, and how they can become more sensitive to broader social needs.
~ Annie Gallin