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PANDA Young leaders serve the community
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Neighbors | Submitted.Food Network chef Aarti Sequeira, left, Sophia Pilolli, Caroline Bennett, Drew Bennett posed for a photograph during the Our Valley Cooks event March 19..Pilolli, and the Bennett siblings were just a few of the Young Leaders from CHS who donated their time for the event.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Food Network chef Aarti Sequeira was one of the several special guests that participated in the Our Valley Cooks event March 19..Members of Canfield High School's PANDA Club and Young Leaders Club volunteered at the event.
By Emily Gianetti
Members of Canfield High School’s PANDA Young Leaders club volunteered at Our Valley Cooks, a local event that ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 19.
Caroline Bennett, Drew Bennett and Sophia Pilolli were just a few of the Canfield Young Leaders who came to donate their time at the event.
They spent their tine handing out raffle tickets and food samples. The trip also got to work with Young Leaders members from other schools in the area.
It wasn’t all work, however. While there, they got to watch a cooking demonstration by Aarti Sequeira of Food Network fame. Her fun, easy-going personality certainly fit the mood of the day.
“It feels great to help out the community and support a great cause,” said Bennett.
Her brother agreed.
“It’s a fun, meaningful experience to spend with fellow PANDA workers,” he said.
Along with Sequeira, local chefs and businesses came to the event and set up booths to advertise and give out samples or sell wares.
The mixture of food and conversation that filled the air did not overshadow what the day was about. In addition to fantastic food, crowds showed up to support a great cause.
Meridian Community Care, a nonprofit organization that helps victims of drug and alcohol abuse, planned the event. The money raised from Our Valley Cooks will go to the organization’s prevention campaign, of which Young Leaders is a part.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to come together,” said Beth Bonish, the PANDA coordinator.
PANDA stands for Prevent And Neutralize Drug and Alcohol Abuse and is part of Meridian’s prevention department. PANDA also focuses on other teen issues such as bullying.
PANDA provides a chance for teens to take a leadership role in the community. The group offers clubs, groups and activities for teens in their towns.
“It really does impact the kids,” said Bonish of her work in the program. “I think that it gives them [the kids] a sense of purpose.”
She noted that though results might not be known immediately, Meridian’s work improves the lives of kids in the long run.