Cooking Matters Volunteer Opportunities: Nutrition Educator

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Cooking Matters challenges families to take health into their own hands, empowering them to learn and grow with others in their community. All volunteers not only have the power to educate, but they inadvertently increase self-esteem and strengthen social networks. Your time and contributions help create a long-term solution to hunger by giving families the confidence and ability to be more self-sufficient, improve their eating habits and food budgeting skills.

The Volunteer Nutrition Educator will serve as a teacher and role model, teaching key nutrition and food budgeting skills that participants will use in the grocery store and the kitchen.

Responsibilities:

• Follow the goals and objectives for each lesson outlined in the curriculum while meeting the needs of the participants.
• Talking points should include My Plate as a tool for healthy eating, focusing on all food groups and important nutrients, planning balanced meals, the benefits of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, improving eating habits, cutting fat from meals, label reading, the importance of breakfast and healthy snacks, food budgeting, food safety, and physical activity.

• Visual aids and activities will be provided and should be included as part of the lesson for demonstrating key messages (My Plate, number of servings, serving sizes, comparison of fats, reading labels, etc.).

• This is an interactive class that encourages hands on participation. Each class participant will receive a book with handouts and activities. The Nutrition Educator will act as the facilitator for these activities.

Skills/Experience:

• We welcome registered dietitians, trained nutritionists, nutrition students and anyone that has significant knowledge of basic nutrition.
• Interest in working with low-income individuals of diverse backgrounds.
• Comfort speaking in front of audiences (average class size is 12 participants).
• Ability to travel to class location.
• Willingness to be trained on Cooking Matters curricula, to work as a team and to adhere to program policies and team decisions.

Time Commitment:

• Attend 1 Cooking Matters Volunteer Orientation and Training session.
• Approximately 3 hours per week for lesson preparation, travel time, class time, set-up and clean-up.
• Must commit to all six weeks of the course or share the commitment with a colleague.