Central students cook for their community

Oct. 22, 2025

A group of students stands holding a sign that reads Kids Feeding Kids. The teacher sits on the floor in front of the sign.

Central High School students partnered with Kids Feeding Kids to provide more than 250 meals for students in need.

On Tuesday, Oct. 14, family and consumer sciences teacher Kayla Vernatti’s Culinary II classes prepared and packaged more than 250 containers of chicken fried rice. These meals were then sent home with students as part of Central’s food pantry.

Four students stand in a line behind a table each doing a different part of preparing chicken fried rice. Gloved hands pour soy sauce into a tub of chicken fried rice. A girl gets to eye level with a measuring cup as she pours soy sauce into it.

This project allows the students to create a high volume, nutritious meals while adhering to industry standards for food safety and sanitation. From making the meals to packaging and properly labeling them, the students were involved in the process from start to finish.

In addition to being a culinary educational opportunity, this project was also an act of community service. The students were regularly reminded throughout the preparation process that the food they were making would go to their friends and neighbors. This made the project all the more impactful to the students and the Central community.

Hands clean off the sides of an open container of chicken fried rice on a stainless steel table. A hand places a closed container of chicken fried rice into a cardboard box with other food containers.