Apr. 29--THE A-J IS focusing on homelessness on the South Plains. Look for stories throughout the year.
Lubbock's roughly 750 homeless residents have plenty of struggles.
Illness without health care. The elements without shelter. Proper clothes without money.
But there's another need many might overlook when they think of helping the city's disenfranchised -- nutrition.
Feeding the homeless is one thing, but doing it well presents another set of challenges.
That task has been put to a pair of graduate students studying nutrition at Texas Tech.
After a semester of work, Ali Pohlmeier and Keely Hawkins unveiled a cookbook Wednesday evening that they hope to distribute to the army of local volunteers fighting homelessness from a stove.
Their research brought them to a local church during one of its homeless feeding sessions, where they encountered children who would shy from healthy meals.
They watched as some children would even lick the ranch dressing from their salad, leaving the greens untouched.
Pohlmeier and Hawkins realized they had to get creative. Their task would require more than just infusing a meal with nutrients.
"If they don't like it, they're not going to eat it," Pohlmeier said. "We had to find a way to hide the vegetables in there."
The finished product, titled "Soup Kitchen Cookbook," includes a variety of recipes -- ranging from baked pasta to pumpkin chili -- that balances the difficult equation of taste, nutrition and cost.
While it's true many of the most healthy food costs more, adding a touch of wholesome to the recipes does not have to carry prohibitive new costs, said Debra Reed, their professor.
She said cheap canned fruits and vegetables will do the trick.
"We're not asking you to go and spend a ton of money," said Hawkins.
The book also includes a handful of healthy desserts.
"They may not eat a thing of fruit," said Pohlmeier, "but they'll eat a cherry pie" -- which, she added, is made with reduced sugar.
Reed introduced the new cookbook during a special presentation that showcased a semester's worth of work from the 10 graduate students in her advanced community nutrition course.
Not all of the two-person teams worked on the cookbook. Some studied the national pandemic of homelessness and interviewed experts and community leaders about how to address the problem. Another team spoke to students about how the Tech community can help.
Ben Pickett, an associate minister and homeless activist with Monterey Church of Christ, was in attendance with a notebook and a pen.
One of his goals, he said, was to improve the quality of food his church's volunteers feed the homeless.
Many want to feed them well, he said, but they may not know how.
"Especially if you give someone healthy options, folks want to help," Pickett said. "They also want to do it within their means."
Reed hopes the cookbook and a related outreach campaign will also tackle the nutrition gap from the other side, the donation side.
Many mean well when they donate boxes of sugar cereal to the South Plains Food Bank, she said, and their help is appreciated. But what the homeless really need are whole grains, nuts and other staples of a healthy diet.
"I think if people get a little bit of education," Reed said, "good things can happen."
To comment on this story:
matthew.mcgowan@lubbockonline.com l 766-8724
charles.reinken@lubbockonline.com l 766-8706
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They (homeless) may not eat a thing of fruit, but they'll eat a cherry pie.
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Ali Pohlmeier
Texas Tech graduate student
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