Cooking for Causes

About Us

Cooking for Causes is an educational and social service program based in San Mateo, California that works directly with local soup kitchens to provide home-cooked meals and an enriching educational and service opportunity for students.

The club's mission is to teach teens how to cook, an important life skill, and to raise awareness of the homelessness epidemic through education and action.

Community Service

Our members believe we should put our skills into practice. After dividing up a pre-planned menu, each member cooks their dish Saturday morning. We then bring everything together to personally serve dinner to one of two local shelters.

Cooking Classes

During the school's club period, members have fun learning new dishes. Our goal is to not just make friends through creating and eating great food, but to mature as adults by learning to cook for ourselves and others.

Get Involved

Cooking for Causes runs single event programs with high schools, after schools, community centers, camps, and other centers. Please get in touch and we can plan a free cooking lesson and help organize a dinner with a local shelter or kitchen.

*All food and other expenses are provided by CfC*

If you are interested in starting a CfC club at your school or other program, we'd be happy to help you connect with homeless shelters and plan your first dinner!

LifeMoves

Redwood City Shelter

https://lifemoves.org

Crystal Springs Uplands School

Cooking Headquarters

https://www.csus.org/

LifeMoves

First Step for Families @ San Mateo, CA

https://lifemoves.org/

Our Favorite Menus

Whether you're making a group dinner for a large soup kitchen or looking to try a new fun or challenging dish, here are some of our favorites!

A post includes either Full Menus or a Recipe.

Full Menus list several dishes that members of the club can prepare separately and bring to the shelter for dinner. Recipes provide directions for a dish you can create at home or together at school.

See All of Our Menus & Recipes