Dr. Diane Says...

On the weekend I've been working with my friend, Simon, to cook for a NYC homeless shelter. He frequently volunteers to stay at the shelter to host the "guests.". And he saw that all they had to eat was cold cuts and bread. He mentioned to me that he wanted me to teach him to cook, and I suggested that why don't we do it together. He purchases the food and I create the menu and organize the cooking process. He helps prep the food for cooking and he cleans up while I do the major cooking and organizing and packing the meal.. Then he or both of us bring it to the shelter just before the guests arrive. This is so they will have a hot and healthy meal. We make things from Italian meals (meatball heroes or lasagna) to stews, chicken and corn bread, and even some gourmet meals we've seen on cooking shows. We have a budget of $50-60 a week, but since Simon pays from his own pocket, we sometiimes try to be more frugal. I suggested to him that we seek out donations from local stores for food vouchers to help us do this, but we have not done that yet. He would have to probably get a letter from the shelter stating that we do this frequently for them.