OCEAN COUNTY – Combine the hustle of a high school and the bustle of a restaurant and that’s what you have when culinary arts students prepared thousands of Thanksgiving meals for the needy.
On the Monday before the holiday, students were separating turkey they had already cooked into portions, adding green beans and scoops of mashed potatoes. A few dozen kids took part in this assembly line, ending with the meals being put in containers in a walk-in refrigerator, ready for pick-up and delivery.
This Feed The Need tradition is carried on every year at the Ocean County Vocational Technical School’s culinary arts program at their Brick Center. This year, more than 3,800 meals were prepared for seniors in the area. The school partnered with RWJ Barnabas Community Medical Center and Seeds of Service in this endeavor.
Naomi Stachar, a junior from Little Egg Harbor, said this makes her feel grateful for what she has.
“I love food, and I like making it a lot, and I enjoy making it for others,” she said. She’s the person in the friend group who invites people over so she can cook for them.
She said the fact that she can use these skills to provide for people who don’t have the resources to make these meals for themselves is a heartwarming experience.
Mavrick Haugh, a junior from Point Pleasant, agreed that it’s a good feeling to be helping people through what could be a tough holiday.
The culinary program is impressive, because the teachers have real-life experience, he said.
“They’re teaching me all the basics and how to experiment with new flavors and try new things,” said the future private chef.
Culinary instructor Monica Impaglia gave this newspaper a tour of the facilities, an interconnected group of large kitchens and storage needed for a project of this size – or any project, really.
The meals were distributed to Preferred Behavioral Health, the George Conway Senior Center in Brick, the Toms River Senior Center, the Department of Children Protection and Permanency, Inspire NJ and numerous local churches and school districts.
The OCVTS Foundation donated the packaging and containers. The Foundation and Seeds of Service donated all 400 turkeys (more than 4,000 lbs.). Meanwhile, RWJ Barnabas Community Medical donated the rest of the food: 1,500 lbs. of potatoes, 1,200 lbs. of sweet potatoes, 1,200 lbs. of stuffing, 450 lbs. of green beans, and 90 gallons of gravy.
