For more than a year now, James “Bobo” Young, general studies sophomore, has been reaching out to offices throughout campus with homemade meals.
Young started this tradition last year. For one Friday a month, he brought food he prepared at home into a different office on campus for the workers to enjoy.
“I started doing it for them for the work they do for students,” Young said. “I feel like I’ve taken from the community all my life and I want to give back.”
So far this year, Young has prepared vegetable beef soup for the Registrar’s Office, vegetarian lasagna for the counselors in the general studies office, chicken noodle soup for Campus Life and chili for the IUS Police.
“I’m used to soup out of the can, so it was nice to have a prepared homemade soup,” Kayla Hardin, psychology junior, said. Hardin works in the Campus Life office.
Young’s passion for volunteering his culinary skills is not limited to IU Southeast. He also prepares meals for nonprofit organizations.
On Nov. 14, Young cooked for the Thanksgiving dinner held at the Bethel AME Church in New Albany. The dinner included items such as dressing, macaroni and cheese and 15 turkeys.
During the last 22 years, Young has held chef positions in restaurants such as Legends, which is now The Horseshoe, and won many local food contests.
In the early 1990s, Young was named “Wing King” of a New Albany chicken wing contest called the “Wing Ding.”
“Cooking is the kind of job you learn on the job and you have to continue to grow with that job,” Young said.
Young said he expects no formal recognition for the meals he cooks for campus offices.
He cooks the meals and also provides the necessary utensils such as plates, cups and napkins.
“I like to see them smile,” Young said. “I just want to show them I appreciate the things they do.”
For future office meals, Young said he has spoken to the Center for Mentoring, the Student Development Center, Physical Plant and the IU Credit Union.
Young said he hopes to have fed most of the offices on campus by the end of this semester, and the ones he does not get the chance to cook for will have their turn at the beginning of next semester.
“It’s a way of me giving back to the community and a way to inspire others to do the same,” Young said. “We can all do something to give back.”
By DESIREE SMITH
Staff Writer
demismit@ius.edu
