Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) and a private donor are working together to help families in need cook healthy meals.
According to a release, VCE’s Family Nutrition Program has launched a “Let’s Get Cookin’” program – a program that “focuses on healthy living strategies including healthy cooking, physical activity, and thrifty food shopping.”
When the program got going in August 2016, the donor reached out, asking how they could help.
“Since the Family Nutrition Program works with limited-resource families and SNAP recipients, the donor suggested giving cookware sets as an incentive to participants who completed the programs,” and now all individuals that complete the course will receive a cookware set, according to a release.
“He pointed out that participants may not have the right equipment at home to put the skills they learn to use,” stated Family Nutrition Program Area Coordinator Stephanie Diehl in a release.
More on the program and the individual’s donation, from a release:
The Family Nutrition Program’s goal is to offer this incentive to 120 families throughout the yearlong pilot. Since Let’s Get Cookin’ launched, the Family Nutrition Program has organized seven groups who have either already graduated, are in progress, or are scheduled to begin soon. These classes are being taught in Arlington County, the City of Alexandria, and Prince William County. Program assistants teaching Let’s Get Cookin’ classes already notice a significant change in their classes’ participation.
“My community is loving this! They are cooking and they are so engaged! I have two guys in one of my classes and we call one guy “the chef.” He and the other guy have asked if there are any volunteer opportunities around town to help with cooking and gardening,” said Anita Eggleton, program assistant in Prince William County.
Some of these classes are being offered in collaboration with the Greater Prince William Community Health Center in Woodbridge, Virginia as well as other locations. Please contact the center at (703) 680-7950 if you are interested in participating in future classes.
The donor hopes that this generous gift will inspire other community members to support the Let’s Get Cookin’ initiative so that it may continue to offer families both the skills and equipment necessary to make healthy foods at home. The program has already piqued the interests of community partners in schools and churches who want to offer the program and incentive to parents and clients.
Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Family Nutrition Program plans to evaluate the pilot at the end of the year for its effectiveness in northern Virginia. If proven successful, they hope to solicit more donations in order to expand the program statewide. To learn about contributing to the Let’s Get Cookin’ initiative’s success, potential donors may contact Stephanie Diehl at (540) 432-6029, ext. 105.
