History of Barrington's Humanitarian Hummus

Food can be a vehicle for social exchange. It brings people together in a way very few activities can.

Anim Steel

According to Julio Ho Media "Hummus is made from two key ingredients – chickpeas and tahini. Chickpeas has been said to be one of the first legumes to be cultivated, dating back 10,000 years in Turkey. While tahini, a sesame paste, has been documented in Arabic cookbooks as early as the 13th Century. The combination of the aforementioned ingredients to produce hummus has been cited in various biblical texts such as the Hebrew Bible".

With history as a leader it is a proud moment to be a follower. For 25 years Zein Bertacchi and a team of dedicated volunteers both youth and adult have served Hummus at various events in the Barrington and neighboring northwest suburban area. The team has raised almost $319,000.00 for local and global charities. Hummus has been a staple sold at these events. This successful venture began 25 years ago when the founder of the chess program, Rishi Sethi asked Zein Bertacchi to introduce chess players at a tournament to middle eastern cuisine. Zein immigrated to the States from Jordan when she was 16 years old. She is an award winning gourmet cook who was happy to present middle eastern dishes to a young audience. The children were reluctant to try the Hummus at first but soon afterwards often chose Hummus and Falafels over hot dogs and pizza. They began calling Zein, "Falafel lady". In fact her food became so popular at chess tournaments that families would call GM Shulman before a tournament to ask if " will you be selling Hummus at the tournament". Over the years Hummus played a starring role at various dinners and other events. Recently Hummus sales provided groceries for 8 families making almost $1000 worth.

Here is a video of how Hummus is made:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Other exciting factors about selling Hummus for benefitting humanitarian causes is the social and intercultural value added in the lives of families sharing food. Youth social entrepreneurs practise their tech, salesmanship and PR skills as they introduce their product to others. The youth also learn about the hardships of the families they serve. So far 8 needy families have had groceries delivered to them with the help of volunteers who are grateful and deeply appreciative of the efforts made. Here is a note from a volunteer who delivered groceries to a family, "Just wanted to let you know I took groceries and items to a family and to Willow Creek food pantry this morning, the family also got some other food and household supplies at Aldi again using your funds".

This venture brings together families and a community and each person in this experience loves what they do for others and themselves. Zein is delighted a humble street food can bring so much joy to the lives of families who need a little help.

At the last venture youth sold Zein's Magical Spices to raise funds for helping to send 15 volunteers on a mission trip to South Korea. Most of the youth did not know that American soldiers fought in the Korean war. Some of these volunteers were the adult children whose fathers fought in this war. So selling the spices turned out to be an educational experience for youth. Details of initiatives undertaken are available at www.peterwulffcenter.org/initiatives

Please consider buying Hummus from the Peter Wulff Center at peterwulffcenter@gmail.com or contact our youth award winning volunteer Krish Nara and Jack Weed at krishnara2012@gmail.com

A 10 oz cup or $6 with 40% going to charities supporting people with food insecurity. All the ingredients are fresh and homemade.