Many nonprofits are suffering to meet the needs of the communities they serve due to the pandemic. That’s why three of Allstate’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs); Professional Latino Allstate Network (PLAN), Allstate Asian American Network (3AN) and PRIDE as well as the Staff Counsel teams joined forces to bring out the good with a Recipes for Good digital cookbook to support two nonprofits, the Trevor Project and Instituto del Progreso Latino.
PLAN’s Community Relationship Lead, Diana shared, “While we can’t do a lot of in-person volunteering, this initiative arose out of a need from one of the nonprofits PLAN works closely with, Instituto del Progreso Latino. A lot of these organizations fundraising events were cancelled. While brainstorming ways to help the nonprofit virtually, a PLAN member came up with the idea of doing a recipe book. When deciding what to name it, we decided what a better name than Recipes for Good.”
To kick-off the spirit of doing good, Allstaters were encouraged to submit their favorite family recipes. Submissions ranged from appetizers to dinner and desserts. If the recipe had a historical and/or cultural component, Allstaters were encouraged to tell the history behind it. Once the recipes were compiled, the ERGs created the first edition of the Recipes for Good cookbook series. For Allstaters to obtain a digital copy, all they must do is donate a minimum of $10 to one of the nonprofits.
The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention while Instituto del Progreso Latino works to provide resources and development to Latino immigrants. The ERGs chose these two organizations in honor of Rohan Barot, a family friend of one of our very own Allstate PRIDE members. Rohan tragically took his life earlier this year, and we’re sharing his story in hopes that it will inspire more kindness and acceptance for all.
“PLAN and PRIDE had a phone call with Rohan’s mom, and we realized this was a perfect way to not only raise awareness of the Trevor Project, but also help with suicide prevention since September is Suicide Awareness Month. She shared her story and out of this we decided to dedicate the Recipe for Good cookbook to Rohan. It was a very heart wrenching story, most of us were at the verge of tears when hearing Mita,” shared Diana.
In this first edition of the cookbook, the ERGs share a few of Rohan’s favorite recipes submitted by his family and friends. Among these are Lemon Salmon with Asparagus & Goat Cheese and a delicious Pound Cake. Also, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, there are some well-known dishes and others with a little history behind them such as Arroz con Gandules and Bote Stew from Michoacán, Mexico. Allstaters will definitely want seconds of all of these!
In Memory of Rohan Barot
Rohan Barot was born on January 16th, 2004 in Mumbai, India before coming to the U.S. when he was eight months old. Rohan was in 10th grade when he came out, and while many of his friends supported him, not everyone did. He also tried to seek acceptance from his dad who did not support Rohan’s identity. Rohan had a loving mother, Mita, the LGBTQ+ club at school, and his best friend Parker by his side but still struggled in silence.
During his sophomore year of high school Rohan often talked with Parker about their dream school, Carnegie Mellon, where Rohan spoke of majoring in computer science. They spent time looking up the test scores they would need to get in. Rohan had a great sense of humor and like many teenagers, often ignored his mom when she spoke to him while staring at his phone. His favorite foods were thick cut bacon cooked on the stovetop and freshwater eel sushi. He loved animals and enjoyed volunteering at the local animal hospital.
On May 21st, 2020 Rohan’s silent battle came to an end as he took his own life. Sadly, just one month later, his father also committed suicide. Rohan’s mother, still grappling with this enormous loss, has dedicated herself to bringing awareness to suicide, especially for LGBTQ+ youths who are at a much higher risk.
We dedicate this first edition of the Recipes for Good cookbook to Rohan and we hope that his story will inspire you to contribute to two causes that were very important to him.
“As of last week, we have raised $6,000 for the Trevor Project. We’re very happy that the story has connected with so many people. It is such an important issue,” shared Diana.
Learn more about The Trevor Project here.
Learn more about Instituto del Progreso Latino here.
