Cooking Matters volunteers needed!

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What is Cooking Matters?

• A six week hands on cooking class for low income families

• Participants partake in a hands on grocery store tour

• Each participant gains cooking skills and knowledge on food and nutrition.

• Participants learn how to create healthy affordable meals.

• Participants take home recipes and groceries each week.

• If participant attends 4 out of 6 classes they will take home an extra incentive during graduation.

Cooking Course Volunteer Roles

• Culinary Instructors: teaches adults, kids, and teems how to cook and shop for healthy, low-cost foods. They combine their own knowledge and experience with the lesson plans and recipes provided in the Cooking Matters curricula. Culinary volunteers are usually either graduates of or enrolled in a two-year culinary training program, have at least two years working as a cook or chef, or retired as a cook or chef. Culinary volunteers can also be someone who genuinely loves cooking and teaching skills they have acquired.

• Nutrition Instructors: teaches adults, kids, and teens how to make healthy choices. They use the lesson plans and instructional materials provided in the Cooking Matters curricula, along with their own expertise in nutrition. Nutrition volunteers are typically graduates of or enrolled in dietetics programs, have at least two years working in a nutrition and dietetics position, or retired in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

• Assistants: helps before, during and after classes. Duties may include shopping for food, handing out and collecting class materials, engaging reluctant participants, helping with set up and clean up, taking photos or collecting stories during class to help record the Cooking Matters course experience. Additionally, any other duties that is appropriate to make the class run smoothly.

Your Duties:

• Create a welcoming environment, respecting participants and managing appropriate behavior.
• Demonstrate subject expertise and class leadership while actively engaging participants in discussion and hands on activities.
• Present, practice and encourage use of information and skills in healthy eating, food resource management, cooking and food safety and meal prep.

Your Time:

• Lead 2-hour class once a week for 6 weeks.
• 60 minutes prep each week which includes, reviewing material and setting up each class.
• A 2-3 hour online training is to be completed which covers class material, and class facilitation, and in person class kick off with opportunity to lead a practice class session.