Nina Lattarulo’s path to delighting the stomachs of the men and women at Jan Peek House began with a notice in a church bulletin.

Soon after answering Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill’s call for volunteers to cook turkey breasts for Thanksgiving, the Putnam Valley resident joined what has become a  year-round force for CHHOP.

Lattarulo is one of dozens of individuals, restaurants, churches, civic organizations and scout and student groups who volunteer to cook, deliver and serve dinners with desserts to residents at Jan Peek 365 days a year.

The support for this program is so strong that those who have been preparing and delivering food to Jan Peek for years have to claim their preferred days early, before each year’s schedule begins filling.  

“It’s just a beautiful thing to try to help those who are less fortunate than us,” said Lattarulo, who brings dishes like meatball pasta and sausages, peppers and onion. “God blessed me with this ability to do it, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”

One of the key drivers of CHHOP’s need to relocate is the lack of a kitchen and the inability to prepare hot meals on-site at Jan Peek’s current location. While CHHOP continues searching for a new facility, Peekskill and the surrounding community have filled the need for hot meals.

Businesses like Taormina, Nonna’s and the Peekskill Brewery.

Churches such as Holy Spirit, Grace Methodist and Peekskill-Cortlandt Seventh Day Adventist.

Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, and student groups like the Human Rights Club at Lakeland High School.

Peekskill Brewery agreed last year to participate in CHHOP’s “Peekskill Summer Challenge” initiative, but wanted to also help in other ways, said co-owner Keith Berardi. He was told about the need for volunteers to cook meals.

“Every day at the restaurant, we do family meal – we cook for all the employees,” he said. “I came up with the idea of basically doing a larger family meal and bringing it over to the shelter.”

Berardi owns Peekskill Brewery with his wife, Kara, and sister, Morgan. Each of them has personally delivered meals to Jan Peek, but they also encourage their employees to get involved.

Not only have Peekskill Brewery staff delivered and served meals at Jan Peek.

“Our kitchen guys have competitions with each other because the folks over there are food critics,” Berardi said. “If the food is not good, they will let you know, and if it’s great, they give standing ovations.”

Sarah Rosen, president of the Human Rights Club at Lakeland High School, said that 10 students have a hand in cooking meals at their homes and then bringing their dishes to school for the trip to Peekskill.

Rosen, a 16-year-old senior who grew up in Peekskill, has been making the trip for three years.

“I just love seeing the smiles on people’s faces and to know that I’m bringing them a fresh warm meal that they’re enjoying eating, and the fact that they’re so happy to have the company there too,” she said.

The students are not just filling a great need. For some of them, the trip to Jan Peek is also an opportunity to learn about the realities of homelessness and the false stereotypes about homeless people.

“For them to come to, especially the younger kids, to see that these people are kind, these people are receptive, these people are ready to have conversations and, of course, they’re people too and nobody was asked to be put in that position, it’s honestly opened their eyes,” Rosen said.