September 28, 2012
By Bonnie Horgos
SANTA CRUZ – Karine Gonzales has breast cancer that metastasized to her bones and lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe, let alone cook.
“It’s very involved to get all of the ingredients together, and very time-consuming to put all of it together,” she said. “Not to mention making sure you get the right nutrients when you don’t have the energy.”
Looking to help people such as Gonzales, Angela Farley in September started Teen Kitchen Project, a nonprofit that delivers nutritious food to cancer patients every Wednesday. Teens voluntarily cook the meals the previous night, including two main dishes, two salads, a dessert and a snack.
Farley runs the nonprofit with Stephanie Forbes, a graduate of Bauman College, a local culinary school focusing on holistic nutrition. Teen Kitchen Project uses fresh, local produce from farms such as Live Earth Farm and Lakeside Organic Gardens. Prepared meals have included miso-glazed chicken, kale salad marinated in lemon juice, lentil salad, ginger apple crisp, apple cloud cake and almond muffins.
“All of the meals have been very tasty, and they’re right on target in regards to the things that are nutritious to cancer patients,” Gonzales said.
While Santa Cruz offers the food delivery service Meals on Wheels for seniors, Teen Kitchen Project is currently the only program for people with cancer and their families. There is no age limit to sign up for deliveries.
“We don’t have anything like this in Santa Cruz,” Farley said. “It seemed like a good way to connect with people who are ill.”
The group, which currently has six teen volunteers, meets every Tuesday at the Ohlsen Foods kitchen in Soquel from 3:30-7:30 p.m. While preparing meals for cancer patients is the most important element, Farley said providing teens a chance to serve the community is a plus.
“Teens need to connect with their community and feel like they’re making a difference,” Farley said. “I remember when I was a teen I felt very disconnected with my purpose.”
Farley herself knows the hassle of cooking when dealing with cancer. Her son Charlie Cross, 4, finished treatment earlier this year for a rare pediatric lung cancer. Friends would regularly cook meals for the family, which propelled Farley to give back when Cross finished treatment.
“The community seems open to this type of organization,” Farley said. “All we have to do is keep talking about it; everyone has a story of someone they know who has cancer.”
While Farley said she’d like to see the organization grow even more (the patients served were recommended by WomenCARE and Jacob’s Heart), she’d need a few more days a week in the kitchen and more volunteers.
Sonya Nemes, a senior at Georgiana Bruce Kirby College Preparatory School, said she’s been trying to rally her peers. Nemes is the head of the school’s community service group, and she hopes to bring more teens into the kitchen.
“When you initially get involved with something, it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, I’m doing this for my resume,'” said the 17-year-old. “Then when you get involved, it’s more about the people and less about what’s on a piece of paper.”
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