Sunday morning, I collected all of our vegetables that didn’t make it into meals last week and threw them in a pot, covered them in water, and added various spices. They simmered until the aromas wafted through the house. The broth tasted delicious, but once I blended everything together the result tasted like drinking savory mashed potatoes, perfect for a cold day. Our family ate some, and we packaged some to give to a neighbor who is living on her own. She loved the soup and the visit.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1986 as a national day of service, and this year, Heilicher joins with PJ Library for our very first Sustainable Soup Sunday project Sunday, January 16, 10-11 a.m. on Zoom. Use up what is in your fridge and cook along with Chef Liz Kaplan (also mother to second grader Francesca and pre-k student Ivan) as we talk about food abundance, food scarcity, and sustainable practices. While MLK Day is a day of service, we hope to inspire a practice of serving … our sustainable soup. We can do this any time, and we’ll teach even our youngest students how to make soup. Start brainstorming with your family about who around you could use some soup or an act of kindness. Ideas we’ve thought of so far are first responders we know, who are so tired from the pandemic; people asking for food on highways, who likely get a lot of granola bars in a day but not warm nutritious food; elderly relatives, especially those who don’t get out much; new parents we know; or people healing from illnesses. Yes, this is for kids! Kids can make soup! Some might need your help, but start this practice now and before you know it, they’ll be serving up their own sustainable soup.
We’re inspired to do this by Miss Rose McGee, Golden Valley resident and innovator of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie. She brings pies to communities hurt by tragedies; in 2019, she baked sixty kosher-certified pies with Heilicher students that we brought to the Pittsburgh Jewish Community after the Tree of Life massacre. She teaches that her main ingredients are
Community • Celebration • Conversation • Comfort • Connection
On MLK Day and beyond, our students will learn about food insecurity, food injustice, and sustainability from many leaders, including
- Vegan chef Thandisizwe Jackson-Nissan who is also a racial justice advocate, housing counselor, and Miss Black Minnesota 2018;
- Princess Haley Titus & Michelle Horovitz from Appetite for Change;
- Simone Ahuja, mother to first grader Niko, who is planning a simulation experience for our middle school students, and
- Chef Lachelle Cunningham of Healthy Roots Institute during Black History Month.
Please join us via Zoom on Sunday, January 16, from 10-11 a.m. Those who register by TOMORROW, January 11, will get a Sustainable Soup Kit with Chef Liz’s special spice mix, containers for packing soup to go, labels for your soup, and a PJ Library book about feeding those in need.
Brought to you by Heilicher Core Values:
- Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah / מִּצְוָה גוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה / A Mitzvah Leads To Another Mitzvah,
- V’ahavta L'rey'acha / וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ / You Shall Love Your Neighbor
- Al Shelosha D’varim / עַל שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים / The World Stand On Three Things: Torah Study, Service to G-d, and Acts of Loving Kindness
