Trinity Rotary steps up to the table

Not all Florida children will sit with their families around a Thanksgiving table this month. Some of them will eat out of garbage cans.

November as National Runaway Prevention Month brings into focus the desperate plight of runaway and homeless children, so members with Rotary Club of Trinity wanted to help them.

Club members, led by Barry Poppel, came together to start the Cook '4' Kids Program last week at the RAP House in New Port Richey, according to Becky Bennett with Pasco Kids First.

Some 1,200 runaways last year in a nine-county area found comfort and aid at the RAP House and other Youth and Family Alternatives facilities.

The majority of chronic runaways become victims first, Bennett pointed out, but when left on the street with no legitimate way to acquire food and shelter, they sometimes become part of street survival crimes, such as drug dealing and prostitution.

The Cook '4' Kids Program allows Trinity Rotarians and their family members to prepare home cooked meals the third Thursday of every month at the RAP House.

Poppel coordinates the program with a monthly sign-up sheet. Four team members are assigned to prepare a main entree, salad with potato or pasta, veggies and bread, and a dessert.

They use the RAP House's pots, pans and utensils to cook for up to 15 youths.

"We discourage pre-cooked meals," Poppel said in a press release. "One of the purposes of this event is the camaraderie established by preparing the meal together. In addition, we hope that our home cooked meals will give these kids a sense of love and caring from the community as well as make their stay at the RAP House more comfortable."

RAP House Program Director Andy Coble says that the Trinity Rotary cooks allow the children to enjoy a variety of dinners and higher quality meals than the shelter can provide with current funding.

"Many of these kids haven't had a home-cooked meal in a long time and they love trying new things," Coble observed. "One teen heard fajitas were being served and asked what they were."

Rotary Club of Trinity challenges other businesses and organizations to step up to the table and volunteer one night per month.

For more information about Cook '4' Kids Program, contact Bennett at 727-967-7509 or go online to www.trinityrotary.org.

Parents or teens in need of support in Pasco County can call YFA's RAP House shelter at 727-835-1777.