A Day in the Life of a Boarding Home Cook in India

Imagine starting to cook breakfast over a blazing hot fire around sunrise for 300 children. You and two colleagues finish around 8 a.m., but the respite is short.

You start lunch preparations at 10 to ensure you finish by noon. The smoke burns your eyes and fills your lungs, but you push on, knowing that hundreds of hungry students are relying on your fresh, nutritious meals so they can learn and grow.  

Dinner preparations start at 4 p.m. You cook 51 pounds of rice and 13 pounds of dal (split beans, peas, and lentils) for just one meal. After you finish at 8 p.m., you head home, drag yourself into bed, and then wake up the next day and do it again.  

This is the grueling schedule of a typical boarding home cook at our partner's Lutheran boarding homes in Tamil Nadu, India.

How you can Support Cooks

Cooks earn between 267-333 rupees (~$3-3.50) each day, while government employees and daily wage labourers can earn up to 1,000 (~$11) rupees each day. The cooks choose to accept a lower wage, because they are dedicated to the students they serve.

To improve their quality of life and service to the students, the boarding home cooks have asked LPGM for higher wages, updated kitchen facilities, smoke-free cooking systems, and improved cooking equipment. This request is above and beyond what LPGM sponsor support can cover.

Your monthly gifts will help LPGM increase wages, improve kitchen facilities, and provide better cooking equipment for boarding home cooks.

Before students return in June, let’s raise $50,000 by May 31 to increase boarding home cooks’ wages.

Thank you for supporting the unsung heroes who feed our boarding home students. Their calloused hands nourish students day in and day out.

God bless you for feeding our neighbors!

Meet Kamalesh

Students feel the love and care radiating from the cooks, and they appreciate the quality of the food they prepare. 
Kamalesh, a 15-year-old sponsored student, says, “I spend time in the kitchen because the cooks are very kind and prepare food with care. I also like to help them whenever possible, as I want to contribute in a small way to preparing meals for the children.”  

He continues, “At home, food is usually prepared early in the morning [before my parents head to work] and eaten throughout the day. In the boarding home, however, meals are freshly prepared each time and served hot.” 

Boarding home cooks make a true impact on the lives of students each day, despite the work being exhausting and their salaries meager.