The Issue
- More than eleven million children in the U.S live in food-insecure households and often do not know when or where their next meal will come from.
- 46% percent of youth in low income families state that hunger hinders their performance in school
What is "Soul Food"?
Mission Statement: Teach real life skills while providing meals to those in our community who can’t afford it.
- Teaches the basics of cooking
- A safe place for students to decompress and communicate with peers
- Positive mentor ship in a controlled environment
- Dispenses meals to youth
Advocacy
- Soul cooking is set to be featured on local new channels AZ Family and AZcentral to promote awareness
- Schools will post flyers and announcements to encourage student participation
How will it be funded?
Program funding will come entirely from donations.
Directors will reach out to local business owners, asking for time or food donations
Schools will purchase the food through their current bulk ordering system for cheaper prices
What will the program do?
- The after school program would consist of either local chefs coming in to teach their creations, or recipes the class decides on.
- Working in pairs, students would cook meals as a team
- There will be probing questions either asked aloud or posted on a board for them to think about while cooking
- At the end, meals will be eaten family style, the group will discuss the questions or events they feel strongly about.
- Leftovers will be taken home by the students either in their own containers or reusable containers provided by the program.
Teaching responsibility
- Tools will be provided by schools (Bowls, utensils, etc)
- Students will be in charge of washing and returning all items used back to the school cafeteria with mentor oversight to ensure the program is properly closed daily
Who will be involved?
- Participating schools include: Copper Canyon High school, Cortez High School and Desert Sky Middle School
- Volunteers will make up the entirety of mentors ranging from local teachers to people of the community, each will be required to go through a screening process to ensure the safety of all children involved. All programs are required to have a minimum of one volunteer per four children, with at least two mentors for each meeting.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us either by emailing soulcookingscap@maricopa.org or visit our website at www.soulcooking.org.
Strategic Community Action Plan