Using Her Skills to Make Memorable Meals

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Anna Schmidt-Kittler. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Anna Schmidt-Kittler is finishing up her junior year of high school but is already a pillar in her community. She’s a self-described foodie, and being half German and half Japanese puts her at the center of a unique culinary background. Anna started cooking after watching and wanting to help her mom, who is Japanese. With regular trips to see family in Japan, it’s easy to understand why Anna’s favorite dish is oden.

But it wasn’t just her mom whom Anna wanted to help. For more than two years, alongside her studies, she has often cooked for 50 to 75—sometimes up to 100!—people at the Community Day Center of Waltham (CDCW). The organization provides shelter and support for unhoused individuals in the form of things like showers, meals and one-on-one case management.

Anna has spent many hours making food and making clients’ day with a friendly face and a listening ear. Her openness and warmth have earned her many meaningful connections during her commitment to this initiative. In fact, listening to clients’ stories has become one of her favorite parts of her role.

Cooking gives people a platform for creativity and expressing their cultural background as much as a chance to try delicious-looking cookies from Instagram. And for Anna, it’s a way to show those who are struggling that someone cares. After graduation, Anna hopes to take a gap year and advance her skills with a culinary class before pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science. And, of course, she hopes to continue feeding her community.

What inspires you to volunteer?

From a very young age, I thought it was really unfair that people were sleeping on the street, and I got to go home in a nice, warm bed in a house. At that age, I was too young to do much, but I never lost that mindset of wanting to help those in underserved areas or situations.

Tell us about your volunteer role with the Community Day Center of Waltham.

I volunteer as both a cook and a server. As a cook, I make full lunches from home. Sometimes, I cook breakfast or dinner. Wherever they need more food or extra hands, I’m happy to help. My mom helps deliver it, because the center opens when I’m at school. She also helps with shopping and funding.

On days I serve, I mostly serve preheated food. People choose what they want to eat, and I bring that out to them. I’ve had to cut back a bit during junior year due to schoolwork and college prep, but when I was cooking more regularly, I’d volunteer once or twice a week.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

When I entered high school, my school encouraged students to volunteer. That was my final push to actually start. I found a community fridge near where I live, and I started to package some home-cooked meals and pop them in. That’s how it went for a few months, but someone from the Community Day Center, who I believe managed it, also bought some food from the fridge to the center itself. She told me and my family that there were a few people who were hoarding all of our food and suggested we come cook directly for the center so we could ensure everyone gets a fair portion and see that it’s going directly to people who need it.

What are your long-term plans or goals for your volunteer work?

I want to continue serving the CDC as much as I can into my gap year and maybe into college. I want to keep cooking as long as I possibly can.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

At first, I thought cooking would be the most rewarding part, but as time marches on, I’ve found myself more and more excited to see everyone at the Day Center, both the employees and the clients. I’ve learned so much from the clients, and I’ve heard so many unique stories that I’m sure we’re just waiting to be heard.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Of course, I’ve gained a lot of cooking and baking knowledge. At first, I could barely cook, and now I’m cooking meals for myself. From meeting and talking to the clients, I’ve also learned stories of why they’ve come to America and what they’re looking for, and I’ve learned that homelessness and food insecurity is much more prevalent than I first thought. A lot of people would come in with tidy, nice clothes–sometimes suits!–and you would never be able to guess that they’re not able to get a meal at home.

Tell us about future partnerships, programs or events that you are excited about.

Sometimes, we celebrate holidays with the clients. We’ve celebrated Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. That’s always fun.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

What could be a very simple thing for you could be life-changing for someone else.

Any advice for how people can address food insecurity in their own communities?

I would recommend cooking a little bit more than you need, packaging your extras or leftovers and putting them in a community fridge. If you’re shopping, get some soup or canned tomatoes or something, and pop them in. It feels so simple, but it’s helping so many people.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

At first, it can seem like a lot of work, but it gets easier and easier. When I first started, it was really tough, and now it feels like I’ve been doing it all my life.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Anna? Find local volunteer opportunities.