Local middle school students learn to cook healthy recipes
Representatives from the Allen County Department of Health recently visited Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Blackhawk Middle School to see the Cooking in the Classroom program in action.
The program includes cooking and nutrition lessons that are funded with a Health First Allen County grant from the local health department; the St. Joe Foundation supports the learning by purchasing food for the recipes.
More than 2,000 middle school students in FWCS have taken the cooking and nutrition classes this year with lessons and recipes developed by Parkview Health registered dietitians. Students learn everything from how to measure and safely chop vegetables to how to read a nutrition label and plan a healthy snack.
The Cooking in the Classroom program is part of the St. Joe Foundation’s work to prevent and treat chronic disease through nutrition education and access to healthy foods. Another St. Joe Foundation program focused on nutrition education is Our HEALing Kitchen (OHK), which is a partnership with Parkview Health. Grant applications for the Our HEALing Kitchen program are now being accepted through April 1; more information is available on the St. Joe Foundation website.