HEALING MEALS WELCOMES DONNA LEIBIN AS EXECUTIVE CHEF AND KITCHEN MANAGER
West Hartford Resident Finds The Job Her Heart Was Waiting For
The Simsbury, Connecticut-based Healing Meals Community Project is thrilled to announce the addition of West Hartford resident Donna Leibin as Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager. Between 2012 and 2015, Leibin created a Food Ministry Outreach program at the Universalist Church of West Hartford and launched the Fern Street Community Kitchen.
“We are delighted to introduce Donna Leibin, our new executive chef and kitchen manager,” says Healing Meals Community Project executive director Sarah Leathers. “To say we are excited is an understatement! Not only is Donna a talented chef, she is a kind and compassionate leader for our youth chefs, and a natural educator. She’s already jumped in and shared several teaching moments on technique in the kitchen.”
In her new job with Healing Meals, Leibin will oversee menu planning, food procurement, shift management, and working side by side with the youth each week to prepare and cook organic nourishing food for Healing Meals clients.
“Healing Meals has offered me the perfect opportunity to combine my professional training as a chef with powerful and meaningful work that benefits our local community,” says Leibin. “I am most surprised by how quickly I felt like part of the team as well as the number of dedicated teen volunteers who show up on Saturday nights ready to work. They prove to me that there is indeed good out there in the world as our next generation rolls up their sleeves to help others.”
Part of the Healing Meals team since February 1, 2017, Leibin has already participated in Friday preparation, Saturday cooking, and Sunday meal packing shifts, working with the teen volunteers, watching them learn and grow, and seeing their confidence build with each shift. She looks forward to being part of the growth and expansion of the organization in the weeks and months ahead.
About Healing Meals Community Project
Founded in 2015 by Simsbury resident Sarah Leathers, Healing Meals Community Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves 100 percent healthy organic meals free to families going through health crises. Youth volunteers between the ages of 14 and 24 prepare the meals – they develop leadership, job, and work-ready lifetime skills while learning about healthy eating, the power of their food choices, and the importance of supporting their community. Healing Meals Community Project is the ninth affiliate around the country of the Ceres Community Project. To learn more, visit www.HealingMealsProject.org.
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