BOSTON — A home cooked meal has the power to warm a person’s heart and lift their spirits.
A group of volunteers stages a monthly feast for out-of-town cancer patients who are in Boston to get some of the best treatment in the world.
They call themselves the “We Can Do It Group”.
The name is inspired by Rosie the Riveter, the fictitious character who represented the women who filled jobs usually performed by men during World War II.
The women in the group bring copious amounts of home cooked food, served with a side of love, to the American Cancer Society Astra Zeneca Hope Lodge in Jamaica Plain.
This facility provides free housing for a cancer patient and a caregiver who live more than 40 miles from their treatment center in Boston.
Paula Petruzziello of Burlington started this effort about seven years ago a with a friend. “The whole premise of the team was cooking pure, organic, homemade food for cancer patients. It’s a way to give back.”
She also believes in the healing power of a good meal. “Food is love if you think about it. I am 100% Italian, so obviously it’s important to gather around a table with good food, made with good intention. So, I think that pretty much sums it up how we all feel.”
Karen Wheatly of Foxborough looks forward to coming to Hope Lodge for these events. “It’s been so much fun because I love to cook. I love to bake.”
She remembers one man who was appreciative of a broccoli ramen salad she now makes regularly. “He said, ‘I have esophageal cancer, and I haven’t been able to taste anything for two months and that’s the first thing that I was able to taste and it was delicious’. So, it always sticks with me, and so that’s why I always make it.”
Patients like Goffrey Timbrook, who is recovering from leukemia and a bone marrow transplant, and his wife Betina, say these dinners also create a sense of community. That’s important to them because they’re from Ft. Worth, Texas.
He said, “It’s a place where we can all come together, and everybody is in the same boat. We all have different oars, we all have different destinations, but we’re all in the same boat as having cancer and fighting the good fight to feel better.”
The couple has been at the lodge since early November. They say having these weekly meals is “amazing.”
Each cook buys all the organic food on their own and then brings the finished dish in to be reheated.
There are always gluten-free and vegetarian options.
During each gathering, the organizers solicit ideas for future menus, which can lead to some surprises and challenges.
Like one year when they got a request for lobster. Petruzziello says they found someone to donate lobsters, and they made mini lobster rolls.
Petruzziello is willing to do whatever she can to bring joy to the Hope Lodge residents.
She knows the group’s efforts are appreciated. “What one woman said to me, which brought me to tears, and I might do a little tearing here, too. She said, ” We know when you come, we can feel the difference that this home-cooked meal is made with love, and that means a lot. That is what she said.”
And that is what the crowd is like on this night.
“It warms your heart,” said one patient. “The power of a home-cooked meal is awesome.”
Petruzziello says they’re always looking for more volunteers. They’re particularly interested in getting people in their 30s and 40s involved so the organization doesn’t lose any momentum in the coming years.
They also like to get some men involved, too.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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