RATHER than raising money and donating it straight to a local cause, students at Marist College are getting their teeth into something more… cooking wholesome meals for the community.

Its new Community Meals sees the college working in partnership with the Kambah St Vincent de Paul Conference and Mary Help of Christians Parish in Pearce to arrange the delivery of meals to families in need of support.

Head of the project Dave Moore, a food science teacher, says Community Meals is outside of the curriculum, but there are more than enough students offering to help.

This isn’t unusual for the Pearce-based college, with students completing about 19,600 hours of community service last year as part of a “Faith Formation” initiative.

“Members of our Senior Vinnies group, which includes students from Years 11 and 12, have been showing great enthusiasm and will play an important role in this initiative, from helping to raise funds to purchasing ingredients to cooking and freezing the meals,” says the director of Faith Formation, Nathan Ahearne.

With one cooking day already completed, Dave and the students are planning to hold eight more over the rest of the year.

“The big thing for us is that the service group will get it cooked and packed, and the staff will deliver the food from the freezers to the places,” Dave says.

If the funds can stretch, Community Meals hopes to make 400 meals this year.

“At this stage we’re fully funded so there’s going to be a limit,” Dave says.

“We would love to have local businesses help us with cost-price food or funds.”

Dave says the school would like to see Community Meals keep going into the future. And the students think it’s a great idea, too.

Matthew Wilson, 17, says: “I thought it was a great idea to take what we have fundraised and to have an impact as students.”

And he isn’t the only student excited to help others with money they have raised.

“It’s a great way to help out the broader community,” says 17-year-old Cooper Browne.

So far the students have made osso bucco and they’ve also turned about 13 kilograms of mince into meatballs.

To make sure the meals have added nutritional value, each serving comes with rice and vegetables.

“I know how important it is for families to have good, solid nutritious meals,” Dave says.

 More information at maristc.act.edu.au/community/canberra-marists/community-meals