In October, Coppell High School junior Sejal Goyal started the Food for Thought Club, sponsored by Carla Martinez, with an intent to spread awareness of various holidays and traditions around the world. Goyal realized the community was unaware about the histories of different holidays and why they are celebrated, so she created a club to inform the community on these holidays through diverse food creations.  

How is your club organized?

Every month, we have this special project and it’s based on [a certain] holiday. [Our club] is divided into three groups, [and] we rotate and change the groups every so often. [The groups] are History and Traditions, Recipe Specialities and the Food Creators. The History and Traditions group research the history of the holiday and tips on how you can make it successful. Recipe Specialities find recipes that are famous around the world and are special to those holidays. The Food Creators make some of those foods so that people can see how it’s done. 

What are some monthly-themed projects your club has done or plans to do in the future?

Every month [our project] is based on a theme. In November [our theme] was Thanksgiving. It was about the history of Thanksgiving, how it all started, how people can celebrate and what recipes there are that people can make. That same month, because Metrocrest Services was having a Thanksgiving food drive, we helped them and did a Thanksgiving food drive. We put boxes outside of CHS and delivered [the collected food] to Metrocrest Services. 

How has your club made an impact on the community? 

It’s spread awareness on the types of holidays and traditions. We’ve really made an impact with the [November] food drive. Since we collected [more than] 100 items in two weeks, it really helps support Metrocrest Services especially during COVID. 

What skills do you hope members will gain?

Through this club, [I hope] they will gain collaboration, teamwork, a background on some of the holidays and awareness. Some of these holidays, we don’t know why we celebrate [them] or how they came to be, so they’ll have more awareness on that. 

What are some food items your club has made in the past?

In November, we made cinnamon rolls and pumpkin spice pie [for Thanksgiving]. For December, we made chocolate cake rolls and a Christmas cookie box with assorted cookies. For [April], we made hot cross buns with Easter speciality. 

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