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Date: July 14, 2009
NECI Teaches Bhutanese Refugees How to Cook on a Budget
July 14, 2009, (Winooski, VT) – On Monday, June 29, the New England Culinary Institute continued its collaboration with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger’s Cooking for Life program to provide cooking and nutrition classes to low-income Vermonters. Hal Colston of NeighborKeepers joined the effort by recruiting 13 Bhutanese refugees to participate in the classes. Rebecca O’Reilly, Nutrition Education Coordinator at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger says, “The NECI students and chef instructors have wonderful knowledge to share. The classes also offer NECI students hands-on teaching experience, so everybody wins.”
Since 1999, Cooking for Life has successfully provided hands-on cooking and nutrition education to over 4,000 low-income Vermonters. Graduates are:
- Consuming more fruits, vegetables, grains, and calcium-containing foods
- Preparing more meals from scratch
- Learning how best to budget food dollars and plan healthier meals
Howard Fisher, Ph.D, NECI’s Academic Dean and Service Learning Instructor, says “This has been a grand opportunity for us. NECI Bachelor’s Program in Culinary Arts students get to organize classes and instruct, see vital community partnerships in action, including the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger and City Market, as well as receive instruction in the importance of the restaurateur being actively involved in service with their local communities. We are encouraged that this relationship will continue to be mutually beneficial and productive.”
Classes are being held at the O’Brien Community Center, Mallets Bay Ave, Winooski, on Mondays, 5:30-8:00 until August 3. For more information or to visit a class, please contact Rebecca O’Reilly at the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger at 865-0255 or roreilly@vtnohunger.org.
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About Cooking for Life is a collaboration of the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger and University of Vermont Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, (EFNEP). The program provides parents with educational information as well as hands on experience so that they can learn how to make healthy choices and prepare affordable meals. During the six-week course, parents learn practical information about budgeting, shopping, and healthy cooking techniques. Parents take an active role in the classes by preparing healthy meals in the kitchen, and then taking home the recipes along with necessary ingredients so that they can share the experience with their families.
The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger is a statewide nonprofit organization that works with state agencies and community groups to develop sustainable hunger solutions. Since 1993 the Campaign’s outreach programs have substantially enhanced Vermont’s nutrition safety net and increased access to nutritious foods.
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