Serving Up Compassion: August’s Granite Stater of the Month
Kendra Smith cooked up the idea for Soel Sistas over the course of a decade. Finally, in May of 2019, she turned her vision into a reality. However, she didn’t know that her passion for soul food would turn into an opportunity to give back to her community.
Growing up, Kendra spent time learning how to cook from her French Lithuanian mother, her African American father, and her grandparents, whom she spent summers with in Alabama. But in the Nashua-area — which she’s called home for the past 29 years — she couldn’t find many places that served the food she’s always loved.
Today Soel Sistas — which stands for “Simply Offering Edible Love” — offers delicious soul food, just the way that Kendra had always imagined. But amid the COVID-19 crisis, Soel Sistas has become about so much more than Kendra’s special, homemade meals.
When schools began to shut down due to COVID-19, Kendra knew that many students in her community were at risk of going hungry without school-provided meals. That’s when Kendra started Feed the Children, a project through her catering company.
Feed the Children started with a $150 contribution from Kendra and $75 she raised through the community. Now the project has received hundreds of dollars, as well as contributions from food drives.
Twice a week, Kendra and her team of volunteers drive to neighborhoods around Nashua and distribute hot meals to families in need. When Kendra honks the horn of her car, kids come running — and the smiles on their faces make everything worth it.
Kendra’s spirit is exemplary of what it means to be a Granite Stater. That’s why I’m excited to name her as August’s Granite Stater of the Month.
Do you know a Granite Stater who should be next month’s Granite Stater of the month? Nominate them here.
