These students are learning new skills while feeding those in need

Each weekday morning, local students are busy preparing meals for those in need — something they say helps them learn skills while giving back to the community.

The students, who are in co-op programs at the high schools in the Greater Essex County District School Board, are cooking for the Meals on Wheels program.

The program is run out of the Community Kitchen at the UHC Hub of Opportunities.

Meals on Wheels, which is administered by the Victorian Order of Nurses, distributes hundreds of warm meals every day to seniors and other homebound people in Windsor-Essex.

"The best part is experience that I get along with meeting new people, having new opportunities, opening up new pathways for careers in the future," said Norah Culiwliw, a student at Belle River High School.

Emma Bruce wasn't sure she wanted to do it at first.

"I think...after this, I am going to go into culinary school," said Bruce. "I've been here for a couple months now and I've sort of fallen in love with the kitchen and how it works."

The students also feel good about helping people in need.

"I like giving back to the community. A lot of these meals would actually go to my aunt and her patients because she takes care of people who can't take care of themselves," said former Tecumseh Vista Academy student Samira Barill.

"I like helping people out with needs. Anything that I can do to help it's a good feeling," said Culiwliw.

The head chef Rafe Hanna says the students spend a semester doing the meal prep and can earn up to five credits.

"I think it's one of the best programs," said Hanna, adding they also learn other skills such as how to use knives.

The meals are prepared one day, refrigerated and warmed up the next day. Those meals are then packed into kits that go to different routes.

That's when volunteers like Thomas McBride take over. He has been a volunteer for about a year.

"When I stopped working, I needed something to do and my mom and dad had been volunteers with the meals on wheels program, so it's just natural for me to do it," said McBride.

Johann Weber is very grateful to the students and volunteers like McBride. He's been a Meals on Wheels client for two years.

"Oh, I would be in the nursing home or somewhere," said Weber, who says Meals on Wheels helps him stay in his apartment.

"Yes, I'm very grateful and they do a very good job."