By Jean Stratton

Brunch For Good is a new initiative that combines distinctive international cuisines with important community causes. Started this year by Princeton and Hopewell residents Mic Boekelmann and Maricel Hermann, three brunches, two focusing on Filipino cuisine and the other Italian, have been held. The causes have included political action and students working for sensible gun control.

The most recent brunch featured modernized favorites from the Philippine Islands fused with selected European influences. Filipino food has been hailed as the next “hot” cuisine, according to The New York Times and other publications.

The brunch included a variety of Filipino-inspired dishes, such as guava and goat cheese mini toasts, pineapple rice cakes, eggs Benedict with Philippine lime hollandaise, sweet and savory crepes, banana-jackfruit spring rolls with creme anglaise, and salted caramel flan.

The event benefited Students For Change, a club created at Hopewell Valley High School. Established after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last February, the club was founded by students Alex Franzino and Ethan Block. They wanted to give their peers an opportunity to be involved in the search for sensible gun control.

Direct Response

“Alex and I started the club in direct response to March For Our Lives in Philadelphia,” explains sophomore Ethan Block, who was one of the speakers at the Philadelphia event. “We began the club because we knew that students at our school wanted to be activists but just didn’t know where to start. We want to give those students the resources they need to feel they can make a difference.”

The club advocates for common-sense gun reform on state and federal levels, and offers students a resource where they can learn how to use their political voices and find ways to contribute to and further common sense gun legislation.

Fear of a school shooting is always on students’ minds, notes Block. “I’m always afraid that there will be a shooter at our school. Our school is very similar to Parkland, and if it happened there, it can happen here. Parkland made it much more real, and I don’t think I’ll be able to feel safe at school until much more is done to protect our students.”

Social media has been instrumental in organizing events and networking with other schools and students, he adds. “March For Our Lives Philadelphia was recently contacted by Parkland. They are doing their tour of the U.S. to promote their message, and they want to meet with us sometime in August to discuss next steps.”

Rallies and Marches

Ensuring that the students keep gun control in the forefront of the public is crucial, Block believes. “We want to make sure that no one forgets that we are still fighting for common-sense gun reform. Unfortunately, it won’t be very hard for the American public to forget that these shootings are still occurring, and there will surely be another one within the next months. That’s just the truth of this country. Students can never forget that we are the only ones who can make a difference, and I hope that students younger than myself will commit to continuing this movement.”

He points out that maintaining the focus will include fund-raising, planning student events, and participating in and organizing rallies and marches in the community.

“Students For Change will break for the summer, but we are encouraging members to volunteer for local campaigns. We want our members to realize that saying ‘never again’ won’t make it a reality, but electing officials who can make those changes in the legislature is how the young people will win.”

Indeed, members are encouraged to do as much as they can, whether through attending rallies, helping with voter registration, or contacting politicians.

Future brunches are planned, reports Maricel Hermann. “We are firm believers that a shared meal has power. It is our hope that these gatherings inspire the community to explore different cultures through food and gain a deeper understanding of what unites us, while shining a light on important local causes.”

For further information, contact brunch4good@gmail.com. For specific information on Students For Change, consult the website: www.sforchange.org or email at studentsforchange19@gmail.com.