Educating children and their families about nutrition, food preparation, and healthy choices can help empower the community. Below is a list of resources and organizations who are dedicated to teaching the community.
- Vetri Community Partnership- A Philadelphia based organization that provides numerous hands on programs that promote healthy eating, how to access food, and how to prepare it. Vetri Community Partnership currently as a mobile teaching kitchen which proudly brings the culinary classroom to communities. They also host Vetri Cooking Lab, an out of school program that teaches cooking, nutrition, and food education utilizing STEM concepts. For more information visit the Vetri Community Partnership webpage.
- Cooking Matters - A volunteer based cooking program teaches participants how to shop effectively, read nutritional information to make healthier choices and cook family friendly affordable meals. This hands on courses meet for two hours, once a week for six weeks and are lead by a volunteer chef and nutrition educator. Meal preparation, grocery shopping, food budgeting and nutrition are just some of the topics covered. Participants learn fundamental food skills, including knife techniques, reading ingredient labels, cutting up a whole chicken, and making a healthy meal for a family of four on a $10 budget. Participants take home a bag of groceries after each class so they can practice the recipes taught that day. For more information on hosting a Cooking Matters course visit the Cooking Matters webpage.
- The Food Trust - A comprehensive approach to ending food insecurity and childhood obesity. The Food Trust's P.E.A.C.H. or People Eating And Cooking Healthy program works to improve food access and teach kitchen skills in undeserved communities. In addition The Food Trust provides a tool kit for schools hoping to integrate a nutrition element into their classrooms. The tool kit even provides suggestions for mobilizing the community. Visit The Food Trust webpage for more information.
- Food Bank of South Jersey - A food distribution center based in Southern New Jersey that has launched over a dozen healthy living cooking classes. These classes for both children and adults, focus on health and wellness. Learn more about the classes by visiting the Food Bank of South Jersey's webpage.