Mom’s Kitchen To You (MKTY)
The idea of living away from home is an exciting idea to almost all of those beginning their college careers. College dorm life has been idolized in movies and stories so extensively that it almost seems like there’s no down time for new students. Though the new-found independence can feel freeing, another feeling might become apparent over time; home sickness. The food at the cafeteria might be pretty good at times, but nothing can compare to the food you’ll find lovingly cooked at home.
Dianah Collom had just the same thought almost 15 years ago in 2005 while employed at Howard College. Hard at work in the Student Assistance Center, she met and talked with students on a daily basis. Many of them shared with her that they missed their homes, families, and home-cooking. Though she knew she couldn’t do much to relieve the first two problems, she got the idea that she could help with the third. Making lovingly home-cooked meals and bringing them to the students was a simple enough idea, but she’d need some help. She asked two of her coworkers, Rebecca Villanueva and Laura Anderson, to assist her in preparing a meal for the students, first feeding the men’s basketball team. When Dianah heard one of the students tell her “This makes me feel at home”, she knew she was doing the right thing.
From there it snowballed. In two weeks, she was feeding the entirety of the 165 men in the residence hall. In four weeks, she moved on to the women’s residence hall, all the while gaining more and more volunteers willing to pitch in. To date, there are around 21 people involved and are getting new volunteers every semester. Though it might seem like a frightening order to some, Dianah Collom, who is also called “Mom” by some of the students, has an excitement for the project that only grows with every meal.
Currently, the volunteer group offers these meals to students four times each semester, feeding a different group of students each week.
If you would like to help support this project, you can reach Dianah at: dcollom@howardcollege.edu
Luke Settles – Student Diplomat and Writer
