Food to Connect Communities

While visiting the various children’s group homes, at The Home Project last summer, I wondered how the staff might create a sense of belonging in what might otherwise be a very lonely time in these young people’s lives. The answer, I found, was in mealtimes—an event that consistently brought all members of the home together. Meals not only were an opportunity each day where everyone was unified through eating the same thing, but they also offered a dedicated time to discuss how everyone's day went. My favourite meal was a borshch (traditional Ukrainian stew), which we prepared with the kids and ate together. As the volunteers ate with the girls, we chatted mainly in Greek, a commonality that helped us connect. After making friends with four-year-old Kira, she let us sit with some of her toys and play with them. After the meal, we played in her bedroom, and she gifted my cousin a small paper flower, which was not only extremely nice of her but also showed how sharing a meal brought us together.