Our Big Kitchen

Last year we were delighted to announce the release of our Serial Mash storybook, ‘Our Big Kitchen’ inspired by the OBK community kitchen project in the heart of Bondi, Sydney NSW, founded by Rabbi Dr David Slavin in 2005. The project made the Channel 7 News as it inspires individuals to come together to help people in need. The team of volunteers make and distribute meals to those in most need across the communities in Sydney and are at the heart of the project, enabling its big acts of kindness to happen.

During this current crisis, there have been many examples of acts of kindness and the generosity of the human spirit. Attributes that were demonstrated and on show when members of 2Simple visited OBK a couple of years ago and saw first-hand the impact that the project had on children and volunteers within the community, a place that inspires giving and kindness all the time. It was this visit that provided the catalyst for this book.

The Serial Mash book ‘Our Big Kitchen’ is the fictional story of Sienna and her journey through hardship and how the kindness of others and the support of the Our Big Kitchen Charity is imperative to her and others in her situation.

“The experience of Our Big Kitchen, was very rewarding. I have learnt many things like how hard some people have it, and how important food is. The experience taught me how fortunate we are, and how necessary food preservation is. It was an experience that makes you incredibly thankful for what we have and proud of helping the community” – Aurelia Age 14 .

The OBK project inspires individuals to come together to help people in need, just like Sienna. In addition to providing much needed food, the project also runs school programs which, in addition to teaching hygiene, food preparation and nutrition, are designed to teach students about giving from a young age, and about those less fortunate. At the heart of it, they are taught about giving. Our Big Kitchen believes in the power of giving -'Through giving, you will receive'. People from all walks of life can connect and work together doing good for those less fortunate. Food and giving meals is the positive end result but the journey of how the meal was made is just as important.

‘Our Big Kitchen’ on Serial Mash is told over 7 chapters and throughout the story the powerful message of giving shines through. Each chapter is accompanied by a range of activities to enable the children to reflect on Sienna and her journey and how we can all help each other, and that small acts of kindness can make a big difference to the world, by inspiring people to be givers. With each chapter, there is an audio recording, created by Y6 students from Loreto Kirribilli.

Alongside the book and teaching resources, we have also created an OBK display board where children can share their work with our community across the world, sharing their ideas, recipes, poems and reflections of OBK, giving their own ideas and contributions and inspiring others to make a difference of their own.

Here are some of the free resources. If you are not a Serial Mash subscriber, you can request a free trial to access more.