COOKING 4 LOVE
About Us
Our Mission
Every week, Cooking 4 Love at JHU defines what it means to be a great service organization. In combining the simple joys of cooking with friends and service to the community, we reach out in an unparalleled fashion to those less fortunate in Baltimore. Instead of eating the food we prepare, we deliver and serve our hot meals to those who have never experienced that luxury. In the diverse setting of a university, we offer students a chance to experience the different parts of Baltimore and to open their eyes to lives that may not be the same as the one to which they are accustomed. Here at C4L, we create smiles, warm hearts, and have a ball while doing it!
The Orgins of C4L
The theme of "love-cooking" had it's start with Christal Ng and the members of Royce house less than a decade ago. Their generosity in time, money, and effort, all for the wonderful women of My Sister's Place, inspired Chen Zhao to expand this example and further the spirit of the 2002-2003 Royce house in founding Cooking 4 Love in the Fall of 2003.
Who We Serve
We serve My Sister's Place. Since most homeless shelters are open only from 6:00pm until 6:00am, many of the homeless are left to roam the streets during the day. My Sister's Place is a shelter where homeless women and children can spend the day and receive meals. They can also utilize the shower and laundry facilities, borrow clothes for interviews, and attend free case management and life skill workshops. My Sister's Place will receive mail for homeless women, as well as help them find a shelter to stay at for the night. There is also a Saturday program for children. My Sister's Place is run by Catholic Charities, but serves women of any belief system..
Where We Cook
Cooking for Love's main kitchen is located at the Interfaith Center (IFC) located at 3400 N. Charles Street (right across from the tennis courts). Along with serving as the main base for Johns Hopkins Campus Ministries, it is home to a variety of formal, informal, and social gatherings for over twenty religious organizations. More relevantly for us, it also has a nice, big kitchen. Other locations, such as the Charles Commons Kitchen, are used should an IFC event preclude cooking for the week.
When We Cook
Each week (Friday 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM) around 15 students can sign up to learn how to cook from a student chef and help in the preparation. No experience is needed to help since almost anyone can stir a pot of hot soup! Right after it's prepared, we pack up the fresh, hot food, and about 6 of us drive to the local women's shelter to serve (4:00 PM - 6:00 PM). Transportation is always provided. Time commitment is flexible - if you cannot help cook, you can go serve instead!