Heineman Middle School made a cookbook, called Heineman “Hawks Care” Recipe Book, which students participated in during their advisory classes. This cookbook was made with Grafton Food Pantry. All the money made from the purchases of the cookbook went straight to the food pantry. Parents were able to buy the cookbook from Dec. 12 to Jan. 6 on the district website for $5 in the form of a PDF. They are no longer available for purchase. Everything in the cookbook was done by the students.

“For advisory, we had to put a recipe into a Google Slide to put it into the cookbook for people,” Heineman student Mitchell Davis said. 

Advisory is a class students at Heineman take only on Mondays and Fridays. In this class, they do various activities. Students started getting their recipes ready in December. Each student was told to get a recipe either from their parents and family or online. 

“As a school, we were looking for an opportunity to collectively complete a service project that bettered the community,” Heineman teacher Caitlin Hacker said. “The cookbook was an easy way for each student to lend a hand in its creation.” 

The students were excited to use different recipes that they would be able to share with their peers and anyone else who was interested in buying them. 

“The recipe I used was a cranberry relish recipe that only required a few steps to make, [it] super simple and easy to do,” Heineman student Alexia Kosmach said. 

The Grafton Food Pantry is located in Huntley. They are open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They are a non-profit organization whose mission is to end hunger. If you are someone in need, you can check their website to see if you fit in the guidelines to receive service. They also hold many events where you can volunteer, which you can also find on their website. You can donate on the website. 

“If anyone is interested in helping out at, or donating to, the Grafton Food Pantry, please do,” Hacker said. “I would challenge everyone to find a place in your community to serve and spend your time creating a better place to live in.”