The Community Cooks volunteers at the farmer's market in Union Square. ~Photo by Julia Fairclough

By Julia Fairclough 

Community Cooks volunteers come in all ages and sizes, but they all believe in their mission to contribute a portion of a meal to a shelter or service program in the Somerville and Cambridge area communities.  

For over 17 years, this volunteer-run organization has carried on this work, and now boasts over 140 volunteers serving over 450 meals each month. Its 12 partner organizations run the gamut, from Respond Inc., a domestic violence agency in Somerville, to the Somerville Homeless Coalition, to The Women’s Center, a women’s resource center in Cambridge. 

This past Saturday, Community Cooks manned a booth at the farmer’s market in Union Square to get the word out about what they do, enticing passersby with pamphlets and home-made coffee cake. 

“People can be at odds about the things that discourage them, but we can all agree that we like to feed the hungry and needy,” said Vicky I, who helped to organize Community Cooks so many years ago. 

A home-cooked meal is both physically and emotionally healing. And it’s a small gesture that goes a long way, I said. 

Volunteers agreed that the time spent doing service is minimal, which is why Community Cooks is so successful. It’s as easy as offering to make one portion of a meal (salad, side dish, entree or dessert) per month. People can choose what they want to make, and can do so right at home. People also deliver the food. 

With so many volunteers, it’s easy for Community Cooks to stick by their word and ask for that monthly obligation. 

“It has helped people to see people as their neighbors who have fallen on hard times, and not as victims,” I said. 

I remembers when Community Cooks started. A bunch of neighbors on Westwood Street thought it would be nice to deliver a home-cooked meal to the Somerville Homeless Coalition, and it took off from there.

 Ann McCann loves volunteering so much, for the past eight years, she has made the monthly trip from Newburyport with a freshly-cooked meal in her car to deliver to a local cause.

 “Just meeting the people where the food goes to is meaningful,” McCann said. “No matter how busy you are, there is always time to give a little something.” 

McCann added that you don’t have to be Julia Child to participate. She knew of a volunteer who made a dessert each month, but always forgot some ingredient. He would leave humorous notes on the dessert, outlining what went wrong this time. By now he prepares desserts quite proficiently, he now leaves a handwritten poem on each dessert.

 “Anyone can donate food to a cause, but when you make it at home and with love, it is just that more special,” said Janelle Fisher of East Arlington. Fisher got involved with Community Cooks since she has always made desserts for the veteran’s shelter in Boston during the holidays. She wanted to cook for others year-round. She liked the fact that anyone can join, and volunteering is easy.