Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters® Colorado
With the help of volunteer chefs and nutrition educators, Cooking Matters Colorado offers six-week, hands-on courses that teach low-income families across Colorado how to budget, shop for and prepare healthy meals. Participants learn how to get the most from their food resources and graduate with skills and strategies that will last a lifetime. Eligible participants also receive assistance with federal nutrition assistance program enrollment, making healthier foods more accessible and affordable. Cooking Matters Colorado serves 38 counties with more than 10,500 graduates to date.
Solid Ground
Seattle’s Solid Ground takes a wraparound approach to helping families in need.Lettuce Link coordinates the growing and giving of 51,000 pounds of organic produce to food banks and shelters. Each year, Cooking Matters™ Seattle, a partnership between Solid Ground and Share Our Strength, teaches more than 500 participants in Washington State how to get the most from their food resources through hands-on cooking and nutrition classes. This summer Solid Ground will offer a series of farm-to-table cooking classes via Cooking Matters at the Seattle Community Farm.
Wholesome Wave
Wholesome Wave’s programs improve the accessibility and affordability of healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables for under served communities—empowering people to choose foods that will help keep their families healthy. Their Double Value Coupon Program increases the value of federal nutrition benefits like SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) when used at farmers markets, while at the same time doubling revenue for family farmers. This year, Wholesome Wave will be active in more than 27 states and help support more than 1,700 farms.
Just Food connects New Yorkers and farmers with the resources and support they need to grow, cook and find good food. They work with communities to implement change, raise awareness, and make New York City a healthier place to live and eat. Last year, their CSA, urban agriculture, and farm-to-food pantry programs increased access to local, sustainably grown food and provided cooking and farm and food justice education for more than 130,000 New York City residents..
Common Vision
Common Vision’s award-winning Fruit Tree Tour, now in its ninth year, has inspired and empowered more than 80,000 California public school students to plant more than 4,300 fruit trees. The all-volunteer army of modern-day Johnny Appleseeds has collaborated with community groups throughout the state to transform more than 180 public schoolyards and community centers from barren urbanscapes into abundant orchards, leaving a lasting legacy of free, fresh food for generations to come.
Spoons Across America®
Spoons Across America is dedicated to educating children, teachers and families about the benefits of healthy eating through hands-on education that celebrates the connection to local farmers and the important tradition of sharing meals around the family table. Spoons has delivered more than 50 programs across the U.S., reaching nearly 32,000 children and families. In 2011, more than 5,000 New York City schoolchildren experienced their high-impact programs, and this organization aims to double its reach and impact in 2012.
HealthCorps®
A proactive health movement founded by leading health and nutrition experts, HealthCorps fights the obesity crisis by getting high school students and communities across the country to take charge of their health. HealthCorps employs recent college graduates to carry out unique school and community programming targeting high-need populations. Using peer-mentoring to deliver a progressive curriculum in nutrition, fitness and mental strength, HealthCorps Coordinators give teens purpose, help them develop character and inspire an interest in health and culinary arts careers.