Day 5

We began today at Haskell Heights Baptist Church where we assisted Terri Jowers and her team of interns from Healthy Columbia in leading a Cheap Eats program for members of the congregation. We split up into groups and worked with members of the congregation to make simple meals with ingredients like kale, salmon, black eyed peas, and rice that are inexpensive and easy to make at home. While we were waiting for the food to cook, we had a question and answer session with some of the interns who lead the Cheap Eats program. Members of the congregation were given the opportunity to ask questions about food they eat and food myths they have heard of. The interns helped clarify some of the questions and gave ideas for healthier eating in the future.



When the food was ready, we helped serve it and enjoyed the delicious meal with everyone who participated. The community at Haskell Heights was very welcoming to our AB group, and even sang a closing worship song for us before we left.

After the Cheap Eats program, we met with Terri and she talked to us about problems within the community such as violence and lack of community support. We discussed ways to make this area a safer place for everyone who lives in it. She told us that it is important to start from the ground, so we went to a local playground and cleaned up some litter in that area and the surrounding neighborhood. Although today was our coldest and windiest day so far, it was worth it to tough out the cold in order to see the impact that our simple efforts made.



We made our way back to St. Paul's Lutheran Church (where we are staying) to warm up and relax for a bit before dinner with members of this church. They made delicious lasagna, salad, and cheesecake which we shared with them whilst getting to know them. After the meal, some of us went and joined them for the evening prayer service after dinner.

Today was a meaningful day where we were given the opportunity to meet and get to know different members of the Columbia community. We are excited for the other activities we will be doing for the rest of the week and meeting more people along the way.

-Sarah and Desiree