More Top Picks Truck Bed Covers
player ready...As Theresa Urbano, Bella Ayala, Ariana Vargas and Penelolpe Zamora were getting ready for dinner recently, along with 70 other youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County in Waukegan, they were excited about the meal they enjoy there each weeknight.
Theresa likes selections like fish, corn dogs, pasta and more. She also enjoys the camaraderie with her friends after spending time doing homework or a recreational activity between the time she arrives after school and mealtime.
“I like the food, and I like being with my friends,” Theresa, a fourth grader at Carman Buckner Elementary School in Waukegan, said. “We’re happy to be here together. My parents like it, too.”
“It’s fun to be with my friends,” added Bella, a Greenwood Elementary School second-grade student.
“I like the food, and it’s healthy, too,” Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School third grader Penelope said.
Ariana, Theresa, Bella and Penelope are among 560 youngsters who eat dinner weeknights at one of 11 Boys & Girls Club locations in Waukegan, North Chicago or Gurnee, prepared in the organization’s commercial kitchen designed to serve them well-balanced, nutritious meals.
All of the youngsters, ranging from kindergartners to high school seniors, also attend schools in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60, North Chicago School District 187 or Gurnee School District 56. All students in those districts receive free breakfast and lunch daily.
Along with the snack the youngsters receive before going home each day, they receive three free meals each weekday. Nina Latusek, the club’s senior development manager, said she hears from parents that the meals the schools and club provide ease their household budget.
“Parents often tell me that the healthy dinners make a real difference,” she said. “Our dinner program allows them to save money for things their children love, like sports and other extracurriculars. It makes evenings at home less stressful, with more time spent with their kids.”
Before the club members have dinner, Jim Westfall, the organization’s chief operating officer, said they do their homework if they have some to do, and then engage in a variety of supervised activities.
“We try to help them improve their reading and math skills,” Westfall said. “They’ll do sports and games. We have a STEM program and field trips in the summer. We stress healthy living.”
Depending on the time the members’ school finishes for the day, they can arrive as early as 2:30 p.m. Westfall said they may stay as late as 7 p.m. Westfall said parents’ work schedules vary, which is the reason the day lasts into early evening.
Though the commercial kitchen formally opened in October, plans for the meal program began beforehand with the hiring of Robert Collins in May as the executive chef and National Service Food Program director.
Assuring all rules are met following Illinois State Board of Education and federal regulations is part of Collins’ job, but his highest priority is preparing meals that are both right for the youngsters and good for them.
“I ensure the kids get a well-balanced, nutritious meal,” Collins said. “Nothing is fried. It is baked and made from scratch. When the food is ordered, I make sure it meets state requirements and all documentation is in order to receive reimbursement funds.”
When Theresa, Bella, Ariana and Penelope got their meals on March 9, they ate cheese and beef quesadillas, corn on the cob, fruit and milk. Collins and his staff began preparing the meals in mid-afternoon.
Youngsters at the club’s flagship location on South Genesee Street in Waukegan — 70 overall — take their dinner cafeteria-style from an opening in the kitchen. For the other 490 club members in club locations at 10 schools in Waukegan, North Chicago and Gurnee, Collins has an additional duty.
“We operate a DoorDash,” Collins said. “I organized a delivery system to the schools.”
Collins first started to cook at home, learning recipes from his mother and grandmother. He liked being around food and making it. He enlisted in the Navy in 1989 at the age of 18 after graduating from high school.
After working as a customs agent for the Navy, Collins said his enlistment was nearing an end in 1995. If he reenlisted, he had the opportunity to go to culinary school and become a chef. He signed for another tour and became a chef for the sailors until his retirement in 2009.
More Top Picks Baratza Sette 270
After retiring, Collins started his own business and seven years later began a not-for-profit organization helping young people learn culinary skills. Along with his work as the executive chef for the Boys & Girls Club, he plans to offer cooking classes there.