More than flimsy paper hearts will be doled out this week. Heart and soul will be served to the residents of the Salvation Army Family Haven on Thursday, Feb. 13, thanks to a Valentine’s Day effort from the students at Saint Louis University Campus Kitchen.
The event will include food, entertainment and a nutritional speaker. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m., followed by entertainment from Melody of Praise, the student gospel choir. A graduate student from the department of nutrition and dietetics will speak on heart disease and its effects in individuals, primarily of African American descent.
“The purpose of this event is to involve students and student groups in providing families, mainly African American and single parents, with a special Valentine’s Day meal, as well as a culturally geared nutrition program,” said Josah Driml, director of Campus Kitchen.
Valentines and flowers will be distributed to all Campus Kitchen meal recipients on Thursday. Campus Kitchen sold Valentine sponsorships in the campus cafeterias. Small individual valentines were sold for $2, and larger group-sponsored valentines were sold for $25 and $50. The sponsorship money will go towards the cost of food and flowers.
Campus Kitchen along with the help of various student organizations raised over $500 for the Heart and Soul event.
Family Haven is located on Lindell Boulevard on Saint Louis University’s campus. Family Haven is a Salvation Army program that offers emergency shelter treatment and assistance. With that assistance, families in crisis can be relocated into safe and affordable housing.
Family Haven is a 54-bed facility where families can stay approximately 120 days, depending on their progress. The program is a way to help families with financial problems try and get their lives back together.
The Emergency Shelter Treatment program provides comprehensive services to homeless families including casework, substance abuse counseling, living skills classes, childcare, parenting classes and placement into permanent and transitional housing.
The Emergency Assistance Program allows low-income families from the St. Louis area to receive assistance.
