Don’t let its name mislead you, Miriam’s Kitchen (MK) is much more than a place for DC’s homeless to get a nutritious meal, it’s the cornerstone in the fight to end homelessness. Although it has evolved to offer a housing program, an advocacy program, health, legal and social services, the daily meals it offers play an important role in meeting the day-to-day needs of the area homeless population. MK offers fresh, nutritious restaurant-quality meals under the direction of four head chefs and with the help of volunteer sous chefs, like Milken Institute School of Public Health student Laura Popielski, and other volunteers.
Popielski began volunteering at MK over one year ago when she first moved to DC to start the Master of Public Health in public health nutrition program, and in August 2016 was selected for the role of sous chef. As a sous chef, Popielski arrives early to get her direction from the head chefs, taking on some tasks, like food prep, herself and delegating to others. She ensures that the volunteers are following the kitchen rules like washing their hands, wearing aprons and practicing kitchen safety. Her biggest job is when they actually start serving, being cognizant of how fast things are moving and if they need to replenish food.
“It’s a great place to learn and a great place to serve,” Popielski says. MK’s restaurant-like style creates a welcoming environment for guests. “I remind our volunteers that our guests don’t have a lot of choices in life, but at Miriam’s they do,” she says.
Originally from upstate New York, Popielski grew up in a family that cooked so she had experience cooking for herself, experimenting and studying nutrition. An internship as an undergraduate student eventually led to managing a farmer’s market in northern New York where she conducted cooking demonstrations, reviewed recipes and promoted the use of local produce. Like many people, Popielski found herself juggling a few jobs after graduating from college, but was passionate about public health and nutrition.
“The jobs I was excited about really required a Master of Public Health,” Popielski says. “If I ever wanted to make an impact in public health I needed to further my education and GW was the place because public health lives and breathes in this city.”
While still passionate about food and farmers markets, Popielski is now focusing her efforts on health promotion work for students. She was inspired after taking a School Health and Safety class this summer, which opened her eyes to the wide range of programs that affect student health through nutrition. She currently works at Georgetown University in the Health Education Services Office where she oversees student health awareness programs on campus. “I’m using my public health skills - using data, behavior theories, models, etc,” she says. “It’s quite fortuitous that I have this job that’s refining and harnessing these skills that I’m learning.”
She recommends that anyone who is interested in volunteering with MK explore the options available. The kitchen’s breakfast and dinner shifts allow students to more easily fit volunteering into their schedule. Popielski has found the whole experience to be very humbling, and has developed a deeper connection and understanding of DC. “Seeing people I’ve served at Miriam’s around the city gives me a bigger sense of how we’re all connected,” she says. “It’s given me a much more humanitarian view of public health.”