2023 Our HEALing Kitchen grant applications open March 1
The St. Joseph Community Health Foundation is taking grant applications for the Our HEALing Kitchen program beginning March 1.
The Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) nutrition and cooking classes offer vulnerable residents with fun and engaging classes about how to prepare and enjoy healthy and affordable meals. Since 2016, more than 2,600 local residents have participated in the classes that are offered by area churches and non-profit organizations.
Using Our HEALing Kitchen curriculum, developed by Parkview Health dietitians, organizations host a series of six to eight cooking and nutrition classes for anywhere from eight to 15 students. Organizations designate a program facilitator who receives training and coaching, as well as the materials needed to teach a successful series of classes.
Grants range from $500 to $1,200 and are available for churches, non-profits, and other organizations that serve vulnerable or low-income youth or adults. Grants cover the costs of food, necessary cooking utensils and equipment, and a final class celebration and incentives.
One resident who took the Our HEALing Kitchen class through the YWCA stated, “The healing kitchen taught me how to use a knife, read labels, and include more fruits and vegetables. The teacher taught us that you can have fun and everything doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Another resident coordinated the Our HEALing Kitchen classes at The Temple Fort Wayne church and stated, “We had the privilege of being able to share the program with several college students this time around. Many of them had no idea how to cook at all, so not only were we able to show them how to cook, but we were also able to teach them how to cook healthy foods. This was something new for us and they were thankful and excited!”
According to Mary Tyndall, food programs director at the St. Joe Foundation, “The cooking and nutrition classes are part of our efforts to ensure all residents have access to healthy and affordable foods, as well as the information they need about how to prepare that food. We are encouraged that evaluations of the Our HEALing Kitchen classes show significant increases in participants’ knowledge about how make healthy meals on a budget.”
Applications will be accepted March 1 through April 1, 2023. More information may be found online at www.sjchf.org and applications may be submitted online through the grants portal by clicking on the “grants” menu item at www.sjchf.org.