Small Impact

Manna's Summer Cooking Program for Teens began last week, with an average of eight students attending the classes. Three days a week they have the opportunity to learn about healthy cooking and help perform a vital community service by preparing meals for the people we serve.

Immediately, one teen (we'll call her Katie), stands out from the others. It is her third year of participating in the class. She does more then participate, however: she takes ownership. Katie actively engages with the other students and to a degree helps lead the class. When other students are heading for the door, she is helping to transport the meals from the church kitchen over to Manna.

Some may wonder about the impact of the program; eight to ten students a day, many of them attending multiple classes, perhaps 50 in total involved over the summer. Rather than being possessed with increasing the number of students, we focus instead on the difference it makes on those that attend.

Even if we change only one person's life, isn't that enough...