Research > Environmental Scan > Programs > Cooking Matters
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
From Our Program
Here’s how Cooking Matters helps provide kids at risk of hunger with healthy foods where they live, learn and play:
  • Cooking Matters courses help families with limited resources make healthy meals at home, using a wide variety of foods that are commonly available in their grocery stores, in WIC packages and from emergency food providers such as food pantries.
  • Course instructors teach cooking skills, practical nutrition information and food budgeting strategies that will last a lifetime.
  • Adult and teen participants receive groceries at the end of each class to practice making the recipes they’ve learned that day.
  • Courses include information on how participants can enroll in federal, state and local assistance programs.
  • Cooking Matters classes are often held in conjunction with after-school, summer food, Head Start and WIC programs.
Target Audience: Low-income families
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
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.
  • Cooking Matters for Adults teaches low-income adults (primarily adults with children) how to prepare and shop sensibly for healthy meals on a limited budget. The program is often paired with Cooking Matters EXTRA for Parents of Preschoolers, an addendum focused specifically on adults with preschool-age children or Cooking Matters EXTRA for Diabetes, addenda offering specialized information for adults living with diabetes. Cooking Matters for Adults and Cooking Matters EXTRA for Parents of Preschoolers are available in both English and Spanish.
  • Cooking Matters for Kids engages kids ages 8 to 12 in learning about healthy eating and provides simple nutritious recipes that children can prepare themselves.
  • Cooking Matters for Families teaches school-age children (ages 6 to 12) and their parents about healthy eating as a family and the importance of working together to plan and prepare healthy meals on a budget.
  • Cooking Matters for Teens teaches teens how to make healthy food choices, meals and snacks for themselves, their families and friends.
  • Cooking Matters for Child Care Professionals teaches child care professionals about healthy meal preparation and creating a healthy food environment for the kids in their care.
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 

Participants share the experience of learning how to make healthier choices and meals
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
Partnerships with other organizations
Share Our Strength's Partners:
National sponsors: ConAgra Foods Foundation and WalMart
Strategic partnerships with national organizations with an aligned message

Cooking Matters Colorado's Partners:
Colorado Health Foundation
Denver Foundation
Anschutz Family Foundation
USDA
Assessments
From Our Impact
"Highlights of Cooking Matters’ 2010 program year include:
  • 89% of Cooking Matters for Adults graduates improved their cooking skills, which means they’re better equipped to make healthy meals for their families at home.
  • 97% of kids who graduate from Cooking Matters for Families enjoyed cooking alongside their parents during class, an important element in continuing to prepare and eat healthy meals together as a family.
  • After graduating from Cooking Matters for Teens, 67% of teens are eating more fruits and 50% are eating more vegetables."

Annual Review Technical Report
  • Highlights key successes and impact measures for 2011
  • Includes a comprehensive summary of all the participant survey data collected in 2011, including participant demographics, behavior change, and satisfaction with the course or tour

Annual Review
  • Access + Education = Results
  • page 4-5: Highlights success of Colorado’s No Kid Hungry Campaign
  • page 10: Shows exponential growth of number of classes, volunteers, participants and states involved between 2009-2011
Cultural Proficiency
Cooking Matters for Adults and Cooking Matters EXTRA for Parents of Preschoolers are available in both English and Spanish.
Located in neighborhood locations
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.
Fun or gaming element
From Cooking Matters for Chefs and Kids
"Within this guide you will find a variety of resources to help you engage kids, including:
  • Tips and advice for planning fun activities
  • Materials lists and activity instructions
  • Appealing and interactive recipes for kids
  • Fun handouts that supplement the lessons of each activity"