The Cheyenne River Youth Project is celebrating National Volunteer Month by seeking recipes and stories for the organization’s upcoming volunteer-inspired cookbook project, which will be published this coming Summer. The organization is specifically seeking submissions from past and current volunteers, staff, board members, community members, as well as anyone who has has been involved with the organization to share their favorite recipes along with anecdotes about their connection to the CRYP family.
Food and the sharing of a meal with volunteers, community members and friends from around the world has been a large part of the organization’s identity since its inception. As a part of its 25th anniversary year activities, the Cheyenne River Youth Project is launching the cookbook project in appreciation of the diverse range of people who have been instrumental in building and sustaining the organization for nearly three decades. Volunteers have been a critical part of CRYP since it began in an old bar on Main Street in 1988.
“In the beginning, we were an all-volunteer organization,” remembers Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “And while it’s true we’ve come a long way, growing from the ‘Old Main’ to a 26,000-square-foot teen center and 5,000-foot youth center, we still couldn’t provide the programming and services our kids and families need if it weren’t for our volunteers, many of whom come from overseas and take time away from their own families to help our community.”
CRYP understands the value of sharing a meal as a window to other cultures, as so many volunteers have brought their own cuisines to the table over the years.
“Food brings people together; we’ve always known that here,” says Garreau. “We see it through our community dinners and through the meals served to the youth each night. We see this cookbook as a way to reconnect with anyone and everyone who has been a part of the organization, to show the scope of its reach but also to demonstrate that everyone who has been a part of the organization is still a part of the CRYP Family.”
CRYP is requesting recipes, whether it is a favorite dish, something that represents one’s culture, or evokes a memory of your time at The Cheyenne River Youth Project, along with writing or an image that symbolizes its importance to you, such as a story, a poem, or a family photo. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the spring and the book will be published mid-summer.
Recipes and inquiries should be sent to Pamela Stolz at vista.cryp@gmail.com or contact her at 964-8200. Please include your full name, where you are from, and your relationship to CRYP.
Founded in 1988, the Cheyenne River Youth Project is dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities, ensuring strong, self-sufficient families and communities. Today, CRYP provides a wide variety of programs and services to the community, covering nearly 3 million acres in South Dakota. To learn more about CRYP, visit www.lakotayouth.org.