On Tuesday, June 10, 2014, some of our CommunityGrows staff went to visit the first day of a six-week summer program at Marshall Elementary School in San Francisco sponsored by 18 Reasons and Cooking Matters. 18 Reasons offers these free classes of cooking and nutrition throughout the Bay Area, sharing their culinary skills and creativity with low-income communities.
Emily Geis, the leader of the group lead twelve 3rd-5th graders through the orientation of cooking and the garden. All the youth got to make chefs hats with their names on them. Assisted by six skilled volunteers, these young chefs learned the rule of the class and the important food groups, and then washed their hands and began prepping. Tortillas were on the menu, so everyone got busy chopping peppers, zucchinis, and onions, and preparing guacamole.
Adrian Almquist, CommunityGrows Garden Programs Manager and Director of Programs, Kelly ErnstFriedman observed the class and learned about Cooking Matters, whose curriculum was created by Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. Nonprofits across the country use Cooking Matters to teach valuable skills in vulnerable communities.