Our Big Kitchen LA

Written by Javier Esperanza

On Sunday, October 13, 2024, Marlborough partnered with Our Big Kitchen LA (OBK) for a meaningful family volunteer event. Wearing aprons, hairnets, and gloves, 70 members of the Marlborough community volunteered with OBK to help address food insecurity in Los Angeles. Over the course of two hours, parents, guardians, students, and staculty prepared more than 300 meals for homeless seniors living on Skid Row.

The event was a resounding success, not only because it broke an all-time volunteer count record, but because it included educational components that helped participants gain a deeper understanding of food insecurity and the needs of the population they were serving.

Personally, I have seen firsthand how this is an issue that really affects everyday people. I have come across many Angelinos I never would have guessed are food insecure. No one should have to experience it, especially in a city as resource rich as ours. This is a key part of what our students learn through our programming.

In this particular event, as volunteers prepared meatballs, they learned that softer-textured foods are preferred by homeless seniors. This is because homeless seniors are often missing teeth, which makes harder-textured food difficult to chew. This fact, along with learning statistics like one in four Angelinos are food insecure, was eye-opening and helped volunteers understand why their support mattered.

Perhaps the most important aspect of volunteering was OBK’s emphasis on dignity. As one OBK chef stated during a food demonstration, “Just because someone is food insecure does not mean they do not deserve the same meal that we are eating… [our food] must be prepared beautifully—aesthetically beautiful—so that it looks like something that you would want to eat.” Volunteers were able to internalize this message, cooking and packing every meal with the utmost care.

By the end of our time with OBK, it was made clear that when the call is made, Marlborough families show up. It really is easy to stay optimistic about the future when you spend so much time around compassionate, skillful people who jump at the chance to make LA a better, more just place. This is one of the many reasons I am proud to be part of the Marlborough community––one that is eager to put our core value of Standing with Others into action.