FeedingBexley, a project created by senior Ellie Ramsey and junior Abbie Keenan as part of a research collaboration with The Ohio State University, is supporting the creation of a Community Cookbook featuring recipes and stories submitted by Bexley students, teachers and residents.
The Community Cookbook will feature original illustrations created by middle and high school students, Ramsey explained. In partnership with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, the proceeds from book sales will benefit local food banks, she added.
SLRC is a program sponsored by the Ohio State University that provides students with mentors to help guide new thinking, identify a real world issue, and work to find a solution to serve the community, Ramsey said.
The project is part of the two-year Student Leadership Research Cooperative program, and the cookbook was formed to serve as outreach to Bexley citizens.
“We wanted to work on a community project, maybe meet people locally, or connect with organizations,” Keenan said.
Keenan explained following cuts to SNAP in October of 2025, she and Ramsey wanted to create a SLRC initiative to help those in the community who were affected.
After funding was returned to the program, their idea shifted to creating the cookbook, Ramsey added.
High school drawing classes have been bringing the submitted recipes to life by drawing the pages that will go in the cookbook, and later this year Healthy Cuisine classes will cook the recipes, Ramsey said.
They plan to sell the finished product at a bake sale, which they hope to hold in April of this year, Keenan said.
Ramsey said they also hope to partner with local Girl Scout Troops to sell the books.
“They’ll lead the bake sale, and we can sell the books out at that event,” she said.
The books will be sold for five dollars each, and people will also have the opportunity to donate directly, she added.
Community involvement in the initiative is encouraged, Keenan said.
“We just want people to get involved,” she added. “We want to reach different types of people and groups, and right now we have the goal of achieving different multicultural recipes and hearing different stories.”
Students can get involved by submitting family recipes or artwork to be featured in the cookbook, Keenan said.
Published and digitized February 2026.
