Elyse, one of our AmeriCorps Members shared this story
We didn’t know what to expect when we sent the sign-up sheet home at Sunnyland Elementary School. The details were rather simple: “Miss Elyse’s Cooking Club, Cost: Free, Maximum 15 students”. The cooking club was only one of several options for new after-school activities. Students could choose from Chess Club, Strings, Futsal, and the like. We knew the kids were enjoying their in-class cooking sessions, but could we compete with soccer? The answer, it would seem, is a definitive yes.
I can confidently make this conclusion because 43 students showed up on the first day of cooking club. Yes, nearly three times the number of students we intended to cap the group at arrived ready to prepare snacks. What was initially a feeling of being entirely overwhelmed soon turned into a feeling of excitement. Kids really do want to cook!
Rather than pare down the group to a seemingly more manageable size, I called up my fellow AmeriCorps members and asked if they would be willing to make this a group project. Without hesitation, they excitedly agreed. This was a phenomenal opportunity to pilot after-school cooking programs for our other schools. Not only that, but we would get to share in the experience of empowering students to cook and eat healthful, flavorful snacks.
While the start was not without some bumps in the road, cooking club has been a truly awe-inspiring program. Each week we have gotten kids excited about eating every fruit and vegetable under the sun. We have sent them home with recipes that they are eager to prepare for their families. The students have taken away a true sense that they can cook incredibly delicious, nutritious snacks all by themselves. All of this thanks to the community-fostering power of sharing food and the unfaltering ambition of three AmeriCorps service members.
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