Belmont High Students Lend a Hand to Rosie's

High school students cooking from scratch for 150 people on a Sunday evening? Absolutely!

Members of Belmont High School's Working to Help the Homeless (WTHH), a Belmont High School club, went to Rosie's Place in the Lower Roxbury neighborhood of Boston on Sunday, March 17, ready to be chefs for a day at their annual catering event at New England's largest women's emergency shelter.  

A fundraiser for the trip occurred in late November, while shopping for provisions took place on Friday afternoon, March 15, at the Costco in Waltham.

Eleven WTHH members, chosen by lot, were accompanied to Rosie's by Alice Melnikoff, the club's advisor, who quickly taught the students everything they needed to know in order to whip-up chicken parmesan, salad, pasta and brownie sundaes. The entire club membership had baked batches of brownies to add a homemade touch to the dinner.  

The students set up the dining room, ran a bingo game, prepared dinner and cleaned up afterward.

Not only did Rosie's guests appreciate the delicious meal, but the WTHH students agreed that the experience itself was both fun and meaningful.

Rosie's Place opened in 1974 as the nation's first emergency shelter for women.  Rosie's takes no federal or state government funding and provides many types of service for their clients. If you'd like further information, go to www.rosiesplace.org