Marist students polish up their culinary skills by cooking for those in need

Marist College students are baking up a storm in the school’s hospitality space, preparing delicious, nutritious meals for families in need.

One afternoon each fortnight, after school wraps up, a group of Marist College students head for the school’s hospitality space.

Here, the eager volunteers are trained to be safe in the kitchen, prepare and cook food, follow a recipe, and work in a team.

The growing lads aren’t feeding themselves, though. The students are part of Marist Community Meals – a project linking the school with the Kambah St Vinnies Conference, Mary Help of Christians Parish in Pearce, and the broader Marist community.

“The project’s main aim is to prepare food in our kitchens that can then be shared with people in the Canberra community who are in need,” Marist Community Meals Coordinator Dave Moore said.

“As a hospitality teacher, I also wanted to ensure that the food prepared was of a high nutritional standard, quality taste and that all meals be accompanied with suitable carbohydrates and vegetables – a balanced, good-tasting meal to help a family in need.”

Each meal can be easily frozen and distributed, from healthy soups to hearty casseroles.

Marist staff deliver meals to the Vinnies conference, the local parish, and families in the school community who are struggling.

“Our 2024 goal is to provide 500 meals by the end of the year,” Mr Moore said.

“Since its inception in 2016, we have cooked over 3500 meals for the community.”

A cornerstone of the program is the students’ service aspect.

“Rather than just fundraise, the boys see their good deeds start in the kitchen get packed into containers, frozen and then sent out to those in need,” Mr Moore explained.

“We cook in large batches, which can be challenging, but the boys all work hard to prepare delicious food. Many of the boys don’t cook that often, and this is a great way for them to spend time in the kitchen to support the community, but also to come away with a few new skills.”

Mr Moore said the community always needed food, and it seemed to have become even more important this year.

“I know our community up the road at MHOC certainly appreciates that their freezer has food from Marist Community Meals, as does St Vinnies Kambah and our local community,” he said.

“Many of our families, including staff, go through crisis and this program allows our pastoral team to access food supplies to show support by providing a night off from cooking.”

Mr Moore’s favourite part of the program is the cooking sessions.

“The boys all come in, have a laugh and cook some healthy food,” he said.

“It is a great environment, and the boys all leave with that sense of accomplishment that their time and effort can go a long way to support others.”