Foodlink in Rochester NY joins the Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters Network
Posted by Laura Sugarwala on Friday, April 8, 2011
Here’s an Upstate New York recipe to try:
- Take New York State’s third largest city with approximately 210,600 people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
- Sprinkle in a generous portion of local food enthusiasm (Rochester is the home of the Public Market, America’s Favorite Farmer’s Market in 2010, and the “birthplace” of Wegmans grocery chain)
- Stir in economic dichotomies (major industries, such as Kodak, started in Rochester, but currently about 26% of the population lives below the poverty line).
- Add a dollop of the national obesity epidemic linked to lack of time to prepare fresh food.
- Finally top with the fortitude to brave even the coldest and snowiest of winters.
- When you lift the lid, you’ll see the Rochester, NY served by Foodlink.
Currently Foodlink, the regional food bank for 10 counties in Central and Western New York, provides emergency food to nearly 125,000 different people every year. Through a network of 450 agencies, including soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters, Foodlink distributes over 11 million pounds of food. Our afterschool Kids Cafe program serves nutritious meals to nearly 3,000 children at approximately 50 locations every day.
The number of food insecure people in our region is high. The Hunger Study, conducted in 2010 in conjunction with Feeding America, indicates that 69% of Foodlink’s clients experience food insecurity. Within the Rochester city school district, the percentage of children eligible for free and reduced priced meals is 88%. Ongoing struggles for jobs and systemic budget cuts have changed the face of hunger. Those with college degrees and years of work experience are now finding it difficult to put food on the table. More people than we think are forced to choose between buying food, heating their homes, or paying medical bills.
As the newest Share our Strength partner, we at Foodlink are pleased and excited to bring Cooking Matters to our region. The curriculum of Cooking Matters and the mission of Share our Strength complement the vision of Foodlink- to build a hunger-free community and sustainable regional food system. One of the central tenets of Foodlink is to empower individuals with the tangible skills, through nutritional and agricultural programs, to lead healthy and productive lives.
The Cooking Matters curriculum provides the opportunity to foster relationships and knowledge throughout our community. Within our network of agencies we work with Salvation Armies, churches, recreation centers and many other community organizations that serve adults and children. We are eager to begin the process of pairing our long time partners with nutrition experts and increase awareness about healthful eating habits while building skills in the kitchen.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the children’s classes. Having taught nutrition at our Kids Cafes for the past 9 months, I’ve seen firsthand how cooking engages kids. The goal is to conduct 16 classes in our first year and to evenly divide those classes between child and adult programs.
This is definitely a case where, if the pot boils over it’s a good thing. Foodlink is starting to plan for volunteer trainings and the first class! We are adding the spice to the Rochester pot.
As all the various ingredients come together to form a sublime mixture, we can only hope one taste won’t be enough!
April 8, 2011 | 2 comment(s) | Tags: food banks, hunger, new york
Comments
2 reader comments so far.
This is exciting! I have long believed in and supported actions that encourage and teach self sufficiency around feeding oneselves. Long time ago, I was one of the first "back to the landers". One thing my partner and I began to learn the value of growing our own food and making many things from scratch. I live a middle class type life now, but I have skills that will always serve me.
Posted by Jean on April 9, 2011
I grew up in Fairport, a Rochester suburb, and am so proud that Rochester is now home to a Cooking Matters program. I've seen the difference it makes for families in other cities and I know the hard times Rochesterians have been going through, not just in this most recent recession, but as Kodak, Xerox, IBM, Bausch & Lombe and other companies have shifted their workforces away from Rochester. I hope to stop by during my next visit home.
Posted by Cate on April 11, 2011
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