About
http://cookingmatters.org/
Location: National Contact: Laura Seman, MPH, Associate Director, Program Development and Evaluation lseman@strength.org |
From Cooking Matters homepage
"The No Kid Hungry campaign is ending childhood hunger in America by connecting kids in need with nutritious food and teaching families how to cook healthy, affordable meals, through Cooking Matters. With the help of volunteer culinary and nutrition experts, participants learn to shop smarter, make healthier food choices, and cook delicious meals." |
Cooking Matters Colorado
http://cookingmatters.org/cooking-matters-colorado/ |
From Cooking Matters Colorado
"In 2011, Cooking Matters Colorado coordinated 218 courses that impacted a total of 2,791 families. In 2012 our goal is to provide at least 345 courses in our 43 county service area, reaching more than 4,000 families through courses and an additional 6,250 through various community outreach events. Cooking Matters Colorado celebrates its 17th anniversary this summer. In these 17 years we have completed a total of 1020 courses and reached 12,276 families through our hands-on, volunteer led courses and an additional 18,365 families through other health fairs and community outreach projects." |
How It Works
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From Our Program
Here’s how Cooking Matters helps provide kids at risk of hunger with healthy foods where they live, learn and play:
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Target Audience: Low-income families
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From Our Program: Our Audience
"Cooking Matters serves a diverse audience of low-income families, who bring the richness of their backgrounds, cultures, languages and kitchen practices to Cooking Matters classes. Most are enrolled in food assistance programs including SNAP (food stamps) and free or reduced-price school meals. Many also count on food pantries when other food sources run out." |
Sustained effort over time
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From Our Program: Our Signature Courses
Share Our Strength provides seven specialized curricula held in six-week courses that cover nutrition and healthy eating, food preparation, budgeting and shopping. Courses are for Adults, Kids, Families, Teens, Childcare Professionals, Parents of Preschoolers, Diabetes and Wellness.
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Active involvement of participants
Individual attention
Each Cooking Matters Signature Courses teach kids and parents important lessons about self-sufficiency in the kitchen.-- Our Program: Our Signature Courses |
From Our Impact
"When families practice what they’ve learned during the six-week course—how to plan, purchase, and prepare healthy, tasty, and affordable foods at home—they are winning the fight against childhood hunger and protecting themselves from the destructive consequences of poor child nutrition." From Our Program: Our Signature Courses "Participants practice fundamental lessons including knife skills, reading ingredient labels, cutting up a whole chicken, and making a healthy meal for a family of four on a $10 budget. Adults and teens take home a bag of groceries after each class so they can practice the recipes taught that day." |
Group Dynamics
Participants shop together on the grocery tour and go through the six-week courses together |
Shopping Matters: Healthy, Affordable Grocery Tour
"Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters® has created a line of tools called Shopping Matters® to help families make healthy and affordable choices at the supermarket. During Shopping Matters tours, participants practice key food shopping skills like buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing unit prices, reading food labels, and identifying whole grain foods." |
Participants shop together on the grocery tour
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Partnerships with other organizations
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Assessments
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From Our Impact
"Highlights of Cooking Matters’ 2010 program year include:
Annual Review Technical Report
Annual Review
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Cultural Proficiency
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Cooking Matters for Adults and Cooking Matters EXTRA for Parents of Preschoolers are available in both English and Spanish.
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Located in neighborhood locations
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Cooking Matters’ culinary and nutrition volunteers teach the courses at a variety of community-based agencies in neighborhood locations that make it easy for families to attend, including Head Start centers, housing centers and after-school programs.
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Fun or gaming element
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From Cooking Matters for Chefs and Kids
"Within this guide you will find a variety of resources to help you engage kids, including:
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