For several years, the Academy of Culinary Arts has partnered with Home Again St. Johns and the Dining with Dignity project to serve a meal to homeless in St. Augustine. Last spring, the academy was selected to be the recipient of a St. Augustine Rotary fundraising event. We received a generous donation so that we could continue to be one of many organizations partnering with Dining with Dignity and allowing our students to participate in this community service project. Academy students work as a team to plan the menu, prep and cook dinner and a dessert, then serve over 70 meals in one evening. Since August, we have completed two scheduled evenings and our third is scheduled for January 27th. Before the end of this school year, we will join the local non-profit coalition to serve two more meals for a total of five.
The Dining with Dignity service learning project continues to be a favorite amongst our Culinary Arts students. Planning and implementing a Dining with Dignity meal supports classroom instruction and develops students’ character and confidence. The positive impact goes beyond feeding a hot meal to homeless; our students experience pride in their work and compassion for their community.
