Families benefit from learning to cook healthy food

Greater Vision Outreach Ministry addresses food insecurities and eating healthier in a variety of ways. Client Lisa and her daughter Jazmine (see page 6) are not alone in their struggle to eat healthy. More people experience financial hardships now than a decade ago, and the effects of lower wages and longer hours place a burden on being healthy. Food education and learning cooking skills can help.

Experts point out that people at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum face challenges with eating well. A Tufts University study found that lower income families have poor diets compared to people with higher income levels. That stands to reason. To obtain groceries, transportation must be available, stores with fresh produce and good prices must be available, and the know-how to prepare healthy and filling meals must be available.

"It began with an idea," Greater Vision Outreach Director Sara Becker says. "I wanted to offer cooking classes to our clients. I knew it would take more than what we could do. We needed partners. It was amazing to see what God did next."

Grace and Cary Kanoy learned about Greater Vision and were impressed with how the ministry serves their clients. A partnership developed.

"It is our passion to connect people to healthy food," Cary says. "Our online farmers market Piedmont Fresh brings produce, meats, and artisan foods directly to consumers."

Greater Vision provided space to help Piedmont Fresh, becoming a weekly food distribution hub. The online farmers market is a food system that supports local farmers and food artisans. The husband and wife are also committed to the Davidson County Local Food Network that works "towards building an equitable and resilient food system for the health and economic welfare of our community."

Teaching people to eat better and placing value on eating better was just what Sara envisioned. The Kanoys' expertise was needed for her idea to grow. Grace applied for and received a grant to fund two once-a-week for four weeks cooking classes for Greater Vision clients. The idea now had roots and was growing quickly. The couple had been hoping to offer cooking classes and now they had a pilot opportunity.

With the addition of Chef Jonathon Seelig of Kitchenology as the class instructor, a curriculum was developed and the two classes were scheduled. Each cohort could include interested clients and family members. The second cohort would be presented in Spanish with translators.

The classes introduced food handling and safety, knife essentials, cooking techniques like sautéing and blanching, and how to store and serve leftovers. Clients and their family members prepared a dish each class and were given a box of ingredients used in that week's class to prepare the meal again at home the next day.

"Improving lifestyles," Sara asserts, "is adding quality to living. The skills learned are skills they can teach their children and make a difference in the health of future generations."

Sadly, eating unhealthy is generational. Doing "easy" or what's most convenient is understandable when one works hard and tries to make ends meet. That is why learning to prepare healthy food is essential. Simple ingredients. Cooking from scratch. It is liberating when someone experiences healthy eating.

Written by  Jim  Edminson, Editor of Charity & Children