New London — There are lessons for students in each of Thomas “Chef Tomm” Johnson’s culinary classes at New London High School — many pertaining to flavor profiles and proper food prep.

This time of year, however, students are learning about the spirit of generosity and the importance of being part of a community.

That was the takeaway from students participating in the annual effort to provide meals for New London families in need. The students gathered Thursday to fill boxes with enough ingredients for a holiday meal: 12-pound ham, sweet potatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots and dinner rolls, among other items, for the nonvegetarian baskets.

The ingredients are bound for families that Johnson said will be truly appreciative of the effort, some of whom are making hard choices on where their limited funds will go each month. Those families are identified by guidance counselors, teachers, police officers and fire department members, all of whom joined in the effort this week to distribute the food.

“I can’t go out to deliver,” Johnson said. “I’d probably be crying like a little baby. There are people out there really struggling. This is really giving back to the community.”

Students from the culinary program, known as the Whaler Café, recognized that their efforts would have an impact.

“It’s very kind-hearted,” high school senior Hector Moran said. “What we’re doing here is about the spirit of giving.”

“I feel like it’s always nice to help out people in need in life, especially around Christmas,” senior Eurick Delgado said.

What started as an effort to hand out 10 baskets has ballooned into 120 care packages this year. It’s an initiative Johnson said he hopes will continue to grow each year and include clothing and toys combined with the food in the future.

A partnership with ShopRite of New London has been an enduring one that Johnson said made this year’s holiday meal initiative possible. ShopRite donated $3,000 of the estimated $4,200 cost of the food, with a significant portion of the remainder coming from the local teacher’s union.

The school culinary program has numerous initiatives throughout each year and in three years has raised roughly $55,000 for the culinary program's from proceeds of the sale of student-made garlic and rosemary focaccia bread at ShopRite. To learn more about the Whaler Café, visit its Facebook page, bit.ly/WhalerCafeFB.

g.smith@theday.com