At Soup-er Sunday, an event organized by the Jewish Teen Initiative Boston in Marblehead, 120 teens from the North Shore put on their chef’s hats for a good cause.
The volunteers cooked approximately 50 lasagnas, 40 apple pies, four vats of soup, and brownies on Nov. 19 that were distributed to local families by the Lynn Shelter Association and the soup kitchen My Brother’s Table.
The Jewish Teen Initiative has been holding Soup-er Sundays since 2009, and started with just 24 volunteers. This year it attracted the largest turnout to date.
This was 16-year-old Marblehead native Daniel Kasten’s third time volunteering at Soup-er Sunday, and this year he ran one of the lasagna stations. He said the best part of the event is at the very end, when he can see the amount of food that’s been produced.
“It’s cool seeing all the hard work through the food, and knowing all that we had created was going to a good cause,’’ said Kasten, a junior at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers.
Kasten, who has been involved with the Jewish Teen Initiative for more than three years, said it has given him valuable skills while exposing him to different aspects of the community.
“Being able to lead in these opportunities, it allows you to gain leadership experience while giving back at the same time,’’ Kasten said.
The Jewish Teen Initiative is involved in volunteering and activism year-round. Teens work with youth at inner-city elementary schools and homeless shelters, hold an annual public space cleanup day in Lynn, and take trips to work with Habitat for Humanity.
Laura Elyse King can be reached at laura.king@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauraelyseking.