Grant Funding Helps Address Food Insecurity

With the support the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region, the Unity House kitchen and dining room will become fun learning space. For one week in June, Unity House will offer a free cooking class for kids and their parents. The one hour class is at 1pm, immediately following the free lunch that is served in the Unity House dining room. Families facing food insecurity can have a meal and stay for a class for their kids. The idea behind the class came from author and cook Amy Halloran, who sees it as worthwhile work to connect people to their food. Teaching children and their parents how to prepare healthy meals with ingredients readily available from stores and the Unity House food pantry is important. It means less processed food, better health outcomes, and better spending tradeoffs as people learn how to cook with ingredients.

Geared to children ages 5 to 10 years old, the class is a fun time of teaching kitchen basics. They will cover recipes that appeal to children. Muffins and tacos, for example, are favorites and are something children can make. Cooking and eating together allows for a fun look at nutrition and health. Children will learn basic kitchen safety and proper handling of food. They will go home with full bellies and a cookbook to keep, Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes.

The program is looking for adult volunteers to help prepare, teach and clean up. Participating children must have a parent present. This is not a drop-off program.  Sign up is on the seond floor of Unity House’s Front Door at 2431 6th Avenue in Troy.

If you would like to learn more, volunteer, or make a gift to purchase food for the class, please contact Amy Halloran at Unity House: (518) 274-2607 x 4192.

Many thanks to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region for their support of this and many Capital Region non-profit initiatives.