Westlake High School cheerleaders have a tradition of raising significant funds for worthwhile causes, and this year they took it to another level by not only financing, but cooking and serving meals for Austin’s homeless community.

Teaming up with West Lake Hills-based Mobile Loaves & Fishes, every cheerleader from all three squads except one who was sick worked overtime on the project from 9 a.m. well into the afternoon Saturday at Wooldridge Square in downtown Austin.

“It was such a good experience, and I actually had a lot of fun,” varsity cheerleader junior Maddie Picone said. “I loved being able to cook for them and serve them. They were all so friendly and easy to get along with, and you could tell they really appreciated the meal from us. It felt really good to be able to help.”

Helping out at ML&F is nothing new to Picone. She has volunteered several times preparing food for distribution to the homeless from trucks departing from its home base on the grounds of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, but she pointed out this experience gave her added insight into the people she had helped from a distance.

“I think everyone was having fun, playing Frisbee and interacting with [the homeless people in attendance],” she said. “People were dying to flip the burgers and take my spot cooking. I think everyone had a great time.”

Freshman cheerleader Elizabeth Peterson, who has also helped out several times at ML&F kitchen in West Lake Hills and has even ridden on the trucks that deliver the food, said she was happy to share the experience with her peers.

“It was cool to see the smiles and hear the thank-yous,” she said. “They were so appreciative, and I think the majority of us really enjoyed it a lot. Some people have never done anything like this before, but everyone was having fun.”

Tami Bone, a longtime parent volunteer for the cheerleaders, suggested the idea and coordinated the effort because she knew that the interaction would be more meaningful than simply raising funds.

“The cheerleaders do a number of community service projects throughout the year but nothing like hands-on working with people in need,” she said. “I was lucky because the parent association was open to working out a plan.”

After getting approval from parent leadership board, she said it was then just a matter of getting direction and materials from ML&F founder Alan Graham to carry it out.

“I really wanted to take [the cheerleaders] out of their comfort zone,” Bone said. “I know a lot of the girls didn’t know what to expect. But I was pleased with their attitude. Everyone had a part in this, and everybody participated.”

Graham, who assisted along with several of the nonprofit’s volunteers that included his wife, Trisha, said he could not be more pleased with the result.

“We are a ministry that empowers people to serve, and we did everything we could have hoped to do on Saturday,” Graham said. “The feedback that I’m getting is very good – transformative is what I’d call it.”

Graham is referring to the fact that many of the cheerleaders came away feeling more empathetic toward homeless people.

“When you get out there and serve them, play Frisbee with them and all the things that were going on, you get a different perspective,” he said. “That’s where the power is. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re best at.”