The Creative Cooking class at LZHS is cooking and sending a Thanksgiving meal to a church in Arlington Heights this Thanksgiving.

            The advanced Creative Cooking class is sending a Thanksgiving meal to St. James Catholic Church. Marie Baker, Creative Cooking teacher, feels this will be a good opportunity for the students to give back this Thanksgiving. The students were allowed to pick the recipes they are going to send.

            “We’re not sending a turkey this time. We’re going to focus more on appetizers, entrées, and maybe one desert,” Baker said.

            Twenty three students, mostly seniors, are participating in the class this semester.  Jenna Monday, senior, said that it “feels good to do something for the school” and she is really looking forward to making the meal.

            Baker said that she chose this particular class to cook the Thanksgiving meal because they have proven to her that they can be trusted. This Creative Cooking class has cooked food for the staff multiple times which has led Baker to trust them.

            Another organization Baker has the opportunity to send the meal to is in Chicago. This organization goes out and finds homeless people and gives them a meal. Baker is unsure whether or not any of their food will be needed there.

            “Not many places take pre-made food, but this one [St. James] does,” Baker said.

            Baker plans to drive the food to the kitchen Thanksgiving morning and volunteer there for a few hours before coming home and starting her holiday cooking.

            Monday said she hopes to send a green bean casserole because she loves the dish. Tommy Kowalski, senior, wants to send homemade stuffing.

 “There’s nothing better than warm, homemade stuffing [on Thanksgiving]. It’s my favorite,” Kowalski said.

            The main goal of this is to give to others since it’s Thanksgiving, Baker said.

            “It feels good to help through my actions,” Kowalski said. “It’s like one big chain of happiness.”