1,000 Cooking Matters Courses for Colorado
Posted by Andrea Rougé on Monday, January 9, 2012
Last month, the No Kid Hungry Colorado campaign hit a major milestone: we graduated our 1,000th Cooking Matters course.
The 1,000th course was Cooking Matters for Families at the Commerce City Recreation Center in Denver, Colorado. Before receiving their graduation certificates on the last week, families cooked mac and cheese loaded with veggies and a seasonal and delicious apple crisp with chef volunteer Chris Martin. Nutrition educator volunteer Ann Pierce led a discussion on sugary drinks. Participants saw how much sugar is in an average soda and did a blind taste test of healthy drinks like sparkling water flavored with a splash of 100% juice or mint and cucumber slices.
After the cooking and demonstration concluded, there was a little sadness in the room. The course had come to an end. One cute kid told me, “I liked taking this class and I just want to stay in it.” But more than anything, people were proud.
Parents were proud they could now cook healthy meals and not break the bank at the grocery store. They also felt empowered by what they had learned.
Volunteers were proud of the impact they had made. “When you volunteer through Cooking Matters, you know you’re helping families learn and understand the skills to sustain a better life,” said Chef Chris. Ann felt the same. “These classes bring families together and improve the quality of life for many people. Good nutrition begins with parents, and a healthy start is one of the best gifts parents can pass on to their children.”
Just imagine this sense of pride being replicated 999 more times across Colorado over the past 17 years. With the hard work of our staff, volunteers, board members and other supporters, we’ve been able to make a real impact in helping families get more healthy food for their money. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve accomplished through Cooking Matters courses in Colorado:
- We taught 509 courses in the last three years, which is 51% of our 1,000 courses in a very short amount of time!
- We’ve expanded statewide, and are now serving 34 counties across the state.
- More than 10,400 participants have graduated from Cooking Matters courses in Colorado.
- In 2011 alone, our volunteers dedicated nearly 11,000 hours.
- We have started Produce and Health Fairs, connecting families with free produce and wellness information every weekend in the summer months.
- We launched our Healthy Pantry Project, helping local pantries provide nutritious and well-balanced choices for their clients, impacting 1,700 families to date.
- We instituted our Team Leader program, where dedicated volunteers are trained to conduct their own courses, saving staff over 840 hours.
- We’ve participated in several obesity prevention research studies, which may indicate a link between hunger issues and obesity.
We’re all proud of this milestone, but recognize that much work lies ahead. Next week, we’ll start course #1,001 and are excited for what the future brings.
Would you like to get involved in Cooking Matters? Get information on volunteering with Cooking Matters.
January 9, 2012 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: colorado, cooking matters, no kid hungry, nutrition education
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