How Do Caretakers Take Care of Themselves? An Interview with Angela Farley: Part One

Today SevenPonds speaks with Angela Farley, the founder and executive director of Teen Kitchen Project based in California. The organization provides nutritional whole foods to families experiencing a serious illness. Teenagers who volunteer get hands-on training in the kitchen providing meals for families. The goal of the project is to give patients and caretakers a healthy option that takes the burden out of cooking at home. After Angela Farley’s son was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer, she decided to help others going through cancer treatments. Through Teen Kitchen Project, she has provided more than 11,000 meals for families. 

Marissa: How would you describe your organization to our readers?

Angela: Teen Kitchen Project invites young teens into the kitchen to learn how to cook. We provide a service free of charge to people in crisis. Our organization provides nutrition to people who are going through life-threatening illnesses like cancer.

Marissa: Are there any similar programs to yours in the U.S., or is yours a one-of-a-kind deal?

Angela: Actually, we are part of a much larger organization in Ceres. I learned about this organization and knew I wanted to become part of it. When my son was ill, we needed to find a better way to nourish our bodies. Doing anything other than takeout was challenging. We were going back and forth to San Francisco, and by the time we got home we would be too tired to cook. After seeing our family go through this, we got a year’s worth of takeout from a friend. When I received this gift, I was so thankful. I knew I wanted to give back in some way. I went to lunch with a friend who told me about this organization in Ceres. I went through a weeklong training at the organization and started my own project.

Credit: nymetroparents.com

Angela: After I watched a video on the organization’s website, I just started crying. I knew I had to do this. I know it was probably PTSD-related processing of stresses, but the universe seemed to be telling me I had to do this. The people around me were so supportive, saying, ‘How can I help?’ A farmer friend gave me vegetables for free. Another friend gave us rent paid for free until we could get on our feet. Everything just opened up. All of my friends, well, most of them, were immediately supportive. I had to convince my chef friend a bit (laughs). She just wasn’t sure about how we were going to work out the details. I didn’t think too hard about it. I just did it.

Marissa: Has your son Charlie inspired you to do this work, or have you always been interested in it?

Angela: I don’t know what I would be doing right now if I didn’t have the experiences I have had. I would have probably continued being a teacher. I think I always would have done something for others though. It feeds your soul. Life is more meaningful when you help others.

Take a look at Angela Farley’s Teen Kitchen Project here for more information. Tune in for part two of our interview with her next week, where she talks about building relationships with families in the program. 

You can read part two here.

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• An interview with Jennifer Belke about caring for children with illnesses.
• An interview with Sheena Boyd about the importance of hospice services.
• An interview with Qiu Quanhong about the best in-home care practices for terminal illnesses.