Foodbank of Santa Barbara County preparing new mobile kitchens to enhance education nutrition program
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. - It’s a kitchen on wheels.
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is getting creative with a new cooking cart.
“We are making a really simple pumpkin soup with lantern staples so you can make this any time not just on Halloween," said founder and executive director Nancy Martz of Apple to Zucchini Cooking School.
As part of the foodbank's Sharehouse Campaign, directors are aiming to help more families and children learn about nutrition.
And they’re getting ready to do this by using a functioning mobile kitchen.
"We have with us the first of our upcoming felt of cooking carts which will enable foodbank staff nutrition volunteers and our partner organizations to take nutrition education out into the community," said senior communications manager Judith Smith-Meyer of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
"I think it’s important because it teaches young people there’s healthy choices out there other than fast food and it gives them confidence and skills they need to go in the kitchen and create themselves a healthy snack," said nutrition Lori Crestfield of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara.
In addition to cooking with kids, the foodbank will use the mobile carts with partner organizations to develop new food curriculum and train volunteer educators.
"We will be able to provide so much more service to the whole community … be ready in case of disasters … with more opportunities to provide nutrition education," said Smith-Meyer.
The foodbank is hoping to purchase about a dozen of the mobile carts by next summer.
"I do kids farmers Parker program and we don’t have a cook stove or a sink so it’s exciting to have a Bruner and running water … it makes it easier to teach the kids," said nutrition educator volunteer Narbara Kilroy of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
"My hope is everybody learns how to cook for themselves and just be passionate about all the bounty the world has to offer," said Martz.
If you would like to help the foodbank raise funds for the mobile kitchens, log onto http://foodbanksbc.org.
