On Tuesday, we celebrated Grandparents Day with our friends from the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Daisies in Westchester. Victoria, from Troop 1986, has been coming to the center and coordinating activities for the seniors for the past 6 years. Here are some of her thoughts about the day…

Sharing Grandparents Day with the VNSNY CHOICE Adult Day Center and some of my scouts was a great opportunity to celebrate grandparents. By using cooking, I was able to bring my great grandmother’s memory to life. I shared her favorite recipes and cookbooks, which she kept dear to her heart. I also shared some of her cooking devices, which helped to spark the seniors’ memories about cooking with their families.

I wanted to share with the seniors that their legacy can continue through sharing their recipes in our intergenerational multicultural cookbook.  I never got to meet any of my great grandparents, but through food and stories around the dinner table, I have a very good idea of what they were like. I know so many different cultures through my family. From my mother’s side I know Dominican food. Through my grandfather’s side, I have a taste for his favorite Polish foods, even though I never met him.

Our memories stay alive and are past down through food and our relationship with it.  I’m so excited to create this intergenerational cookbook to inspire families to connect and share around cooking.  I was able to make this project possible in part by an award from Generations United with grant funding from MetLife Foundation.

Thanks to Victoria, the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Daisies – you have added so much to the lives of our members!   We can’t wait for your next event!