Our HEALing Kitchen is off to a great start this summer, with more than 400 participants set to learn about preparing and cooking healthy, affordable meals.

The St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and Parkview Health recently awarded 14 local non-profits grants to run approximately 30 classes, which cover topics such as: understanding the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables; how to clean, store, and prepare fresh produce; and proper knife skills.

“Our HEALing Kitchen helps address some of the challenges low-income residents face,” said Meg Distler, executive director of the St. Joe Foundation. “The program pairs nutrition and diet information with cooking lessons so participants can learn simple strategies for incorporating more nutritious and affordable foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, into their diets.”

Our HEALing Kitchen is a partnership between the St. Joe Foundation and Parkview Health. It is a “train-the-trainer” program that provides training and information to staff, volunteers, or members of local non-profits or churches. The facilitators are equipped with training from registered dietitians, a 200-plus page facilitator guide, and access to online teaching videos.