When one door closes, another window opens.

  And this particular window promises to fill the air with recipes to whet the appetite.

  A Friend’s House is set to release “Taste of Henry  – The Cookbook.” Funds raised from the cookbooks will go to A Friend’s House, a shelter and home for abused, neglected and abandoned children. Cookbooks will be available for a $20 donation.

  Julie O’Neill is a community outreach and public relations strategist for the shelter, located in McDonough. She said the cookbook enables the facility to raise money in the absence of this year’s Taste of Henry event.

  “A Friend’s House has two major fundraisers every year, and this is one of them,” she said. “Taste of Henry has also become a beloved community event. Some people come because they love food, and others because they want to support A Friend’s House.”

  O’Neill  said the cookbook emerged from the concept that says, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.” She said leaders at A Friend’s House launched the endeavor as a way to keep the Taste of Henry spirit alive for the community.

  Taste of Henry, originally scheduled for April 17, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. O’Neill said the cookbook sends a positive message about children at the shelter while also shining a light on its ongoing needs.

  “There’s a certain resiliency of adapting it to a cookbook that resembled the resiliency of our kids,” said O’Neill. “We have a capacity of 24. We currently have 17, and we’re getting calls every day for placement. We went through a period in March and April where there were no calls coming in. The calls have increased as the shelter-in-place has been relaxed.”

  Currently, A Friend’s House has 17 residents, including three sibling groups. O’Neill said the coronavirus has further heightened needs at the facility.

  “We’ve been sheltering in place since early March, which means we have been feeding these kids three meals a day, seven days a week,” she said. “No restaurants.  No school lunches.  No volunteer-made food.”

  O’Neill said A Friend’s House will publish approximately 1,500 books, with plans to debut them at the Geranium Festival, slated for September 19. O’Neill said the cookbook will showcase the culinary talents of supporters for A Friend’s House, from businesses to churches to individuals.

  “The best thing the community can do is to come to the Geranium Festival September 19, make a donation to A Friend’s House and receive a cookbook,” said O’Neill. She went on to add local artist Heather Ozee will create cover art, pro bono, for the cookbook.

  “This is great news because we are able to ask some of our favorite local restaurants to participate at no cost,” said O’Neill. “We’re really excited about the artwork. People like to collect cookbooks, and this will be a community collector’s item.”

  For more information, visit www.afriendshouse.org.