Comfort Kitchen

Community Need: Creating equitable access to nutritious food when at school so students can fully engage and succeed.

Target Audience and Location: Socio-economically disadvantaged students attending Cypress High School in Cypress, CA.

Vision: A future where every student has reliable access to filling, nutritious food during the school day, so students have the fuel they need to learn, connect, and thrive.  

Mission: We cultivate access to nutritious food on campus for economically disadvantaged high school students through an on-site pantry that provides free, reliable meals in a way that honors students’ dignity and choice.

Project Description: Scholar Parsmi Rajput and educator Shelley Hawkins co–founded Comfort Kitchen, an initiative focused on creating and sustaining an on-campus food pantry. Over the school year, the team has built a structured leadership model, secured district and community support, and navigated the planning and approval process to prepare a pantry space that is organized, accessible, and designed to preserve student dignity. Supported by a cross-grade student team and community partners, including the district’s Teachers Union, the project is now preparing the pantry space, developing outreach materials, and establishing systems to track usage and gather feedback, with sustainability and leadership transition guiding its continued growth.

As a student leader, Parsmi is most proud of “myself for completing my grant proposal and going step by step instead of trying to do everything at once. I am also proud of my team for coming together and establishing roles so we all play an important part in the project’s success.”