LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Students in Jefferson County have been working to ensure more than 70 Louisville families will have a Thanksgiving meal. 

What You Need To Know

  • JCPS students prepared Thanksgiving meal kits for more than 70 Louisville families

  • Students from Western and Iroquois high schools prepared the food

  • The dishes included green beans and sweet potatoes

  • The kits were distributed in partnership with The LEE Initiative at the McAtee Community and Training Kitchen

 

Western High School senior Daniya Brown diced onions as her culinary arts class prepared dozens of containers of green beans with peppered bacon and sweet potatoes coated in a sauce with nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Students at Western High School prepared more than 70 containers of green beans for Thanksgiving meals. (Spectrum News 1/Erin Kelly)

"I feel like this is a good deed because some people don’t have enough money to do this and I feel like everybody should take care of each other and help out," she said. 

Iroquois High school students also prepared side dishes for the families.

Chef Jon Vernak leads the intro class at Western, which covers safety, sanitation and cooking procedures. 

This summer, The LEE Initiative announced that both Western and Iroquois high schools would receive $10,000 in food credits as part of a partnership with the McAtee Community and Training Kitchen, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and restaurant wholesaler What Chefs Want.

"It’s been amazing," said Vernak. "We get to try some different foods that we haven’t tried before while also giving back because we are part of the hospitality industry and it’s awesome to be able to give back." 

The meal kits required a sign up for pickup Tuesday night and included a turkey to cook at home.

They are being distributed in partnership with The LEE Initiative and the McAtee Community and Training Kitchen.