Culinary Care provides meals to cancer patients in Chicago on Giving Tuesday 2024

CHICAGO (WLS) — One organization is working to help those going through cancer treatments by providing them with food.

Jennifer Maayteh is facing her third battle with breast cancer. This time, her chemo treatments came with an extra friendly face and some food.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

“We sometimes can’t afford it, you know? So, it’s, it’s very valuable,” Maayteh said.

Maayteh is one of hundreds of patients benefiting from the free meal services offered by Culinary Care. She emphasizes the importance of the relationships she has forged with the volunteers, highlighting the positive impact on her healing process.

“I’m going through chemo right now,” Maayteh said. “Today might be my last day.”

Courtney Johnson, the CEO and Founder of Culinary Care, underlines the significance of community support in influencing outcomes, suggesting that having a perceived sense of support can boost results by up to 25%.

Johnson says this began when friends and family stepped up to bring meals to her father, who had lung cancer while she was in high school.

“My dad’s favorite activity was going out to eat,” Johnson said. “Every single day, we did not have to worry about food.”

It inspired her to start going on her lunch break to deliver meals to other patients. Nearly 11 years later, it has taken a life of its own.

Culinary Care is dedicated to delivering 10,000 meals this year, operating Monday through Friday throughout the year to cater to 900 patients in the Chicagoland area. Despite the challenges, the volunteers find the work fulfilling and are motivated by the impact they are making in the community.

“A lot of the patients, sometimes, we’re the only ones that they see outside of the nursing the medical field,” said Jen Gerwing with Culinary Care.

Gerwing says the team works with four hospitals and nearly one dozen restaurants and dieticians so that patients get nutritional meals. Sometimes, treatment means patients are there for 12-hour days, and so they’ll even bring a meal for their caregiver.

“Sometimes, we see patients, they’re not having the best day, and then we walk in, it’s like they light up,” Gerwing said.

Every meal is a gesture of love and reminder to patients not to lose hope.

“I pray for others as well. You know, I don’t want them to go through stuff, you know? I want them to realize, you know, there’s a good, good place on the other side as well,” Maayteh said.