The award-winning social action charity welcomed Jewish Care residents to its community youth kitchen on Sunday 14 July as a pilot project for intergenerational interaction.
Teen volunteers from ImpACT Youth Kitchen met with residents at Sunridge Court care home to prepare meals to be delivered to the local food bank using surplus food from Barnet Food Hub.
Youth Kitchen is Project ImpACT’s flagship program, helping people of all faiths by providing meals to local food banks and homeless shelters.
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The two generations worked side by side, chatting and getting to know each other, sharing their culinary skills and preparing food which was then packaged and delivered to Clandon House homeless shelter in Finchley.
Jakub Walczak, social care coordinator at Jewish Care's Sunridge Court care home, said: “This project has been incredibly rewarding. The intergenerational work demonstrates how important it is to create opportunities for people of all ages to find purpose and meaning by supporting others as part of the community.”
“Project ImpACT coordinators and youth volunteers engaged extremely well with residents and made the event enjoyable for everyone. The session made for a lively and fun Sunday morning for residents who love good company.”
Cecily, a young volunteer in Project Impact's Intergenerational Cooking Pilot and a resident at Jewish Care's Sunridge Court nursing home.
Paul, a resident at Jewish Care Sunridge Court, said: “It was great, it was great to be with the young people and I really enjoyed the activities.”
Another resident, Tibby, added: “It was a really fun outing and I'm glad I decided to come after all as I met some people who know my friend from South Africa. It was really worth it.”
To date, Youth Kitchen has delivered over 25,000 meals to local food banks and shelters, helping to feed some of the most vulnerable people in society.
Anna Freedman, Youth Kitchen Manager at Impact Act, said: “It was a lovely and special event to see young people and older people coming together with a common purpose and uplifting each other through unity.”
“We're pleased that our pilot intergenerational sessions were enjoyed by everyone and were a great success,” said Chayli Fehler, Founder and Director of Project Impact. “It was great to see our volunteers interacting with residents in such a meaningful way.”
Project-ImpACTs-An intergenerational cooking pilot run by young volunteers-Paul
“Not only did they share skills and get to know each other, but they also used their surplus ingredients to cook for those in need. It was great to see two generations together in such a positive and fun environment.”
Rachel Jones, director of care services at Jewish Care, added: “It is incredibly powerful for Jewish Care residents to get involved in community projects and volunteer to help and make an impact on others.”
Project – ImpactACTs – Intergenerational Cooking Pilot – Young Volunteers – Residents of Jewish Cares Sunridge Court Care Home.
“When older people come together with younger volunteers to show their compassion and make important contributions, it makes a huge difference. We know that intergenerational activities like this that create special connections benefit the well-being of all involved across generations. We want to thank Project Impact for inviting our residents to be part of this wonderful initiative.”
- Project ImpACT encourages and engages teens to volunteer and contribute to their communities and more in meaningful ways.
