Jennifer Hipple, communications specialist for local nonprofit Hammer & NER, believes in the power of giving back to the community. She says the organization's Cooks in the Kitchen program is a great opportunity to provide hot, ready-made meals to those who need it most. “It's a little bit of commitment and effort that pays off big time for everyone involved.”
Cooks in the Kitchen was founded in 2022 out of what was then the Hammer Residences offices in Wayzata. The organization serves adults with intellectual disabilities in group homes around town. According to Hipple, the Volunteer Services team created the program to help fill staffing gaps at the home. “We saw a need in the home that was understaffed,” Hipple said. “We thought it would be a great way for people to come and have fun while giving back to the community. We also thought it would be a good team building opportunity.”
The program started with staff coming into the building for three hours once a week. They prepared and cooked two meals in large pots and delivered them to each home. Soon, the organization was expanding the program to include anyone interested in volunteering outside the building.
In January 2023, Hammer Residences merged with Northeast Residences in White Bear Lake and rebranded as Hammer & NER, a move that sparked a new course of action for Cooks in the Kitchen.
“White Bear Lake did not have a similar program to support our residents and staff,” said Julie Huffcutt, Volunteer Services Manager, “so we decided to relocate Cooks in the Kitchen here as well.”
The White Bear Lake Hammer & NER location launched the Cooks in the Kitchen program in April, and the White Bear and Wayzata locations have maintained the same cooking schedule: Cooking on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, with staff scheduled deliveries to group homes immediately after.
The program has garnered support from local residents and large businesses, including Coldwell Banker in White Bear Lake, where sales manager Chuck Stout volunteers with the program and oversees two volunteer groups for the company.
“Volunteering here gives you a feeling that you don't get from other activities, like picking up trash on the side of the road,” Stout says. “Cooks in the Kitchen is like giving direct support to someone in need. The program is all about one-on-one help, and that's what I get out of it.”
Other volunteers have connections to participants in the program. White Bear Lake resident Patrick Latz said he got involved in volunteering through Huffcutt, a friend he's known since high school. “We've known each other for a long time,” Latz said, “so I wanted to help her out with this program in White Bear Lake.”
Lutz previously volunteered with the program in Wayzata but is just starting to work in White Bear Lake. “I’m still new,” Lutz joked. “I love giving back to the community and helping the people that are being served here, and every time I come to volunteer it just gets stronger.”
Eric Suchi is a Press Publications staff writer. He can be reached at 651-407-1229 or whitebearnews@presspubs.com.
