In its 11th year, Taste of Atlanta took to the streets of Midtown Atlanta to showcase Atlanta’s restaurants and dining experience. At the same time, the annual food festival partnered with Cooking Matters Georgia to combat the hunger problem within low-income communities in Georgia.
Event manager Stacy Weenick said, “Taste of Atlanta is about so much more than food. We aim to educate our festival attendees.” The food festival’s silent auction raised over $30,000 to benefit the two-year-old initiative.
Cooking Matters, started in 1993, is a national program under Share Our Strength. Locally operated and sponsored by Georgia Coalition for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Cooking Matters Georgia “presents nutrition in a practical way through cooking,” said Karen Kierath, director of operations.
The initiative presents a six-week course to low-income families that teach them all the skills to impact healthier and nutritional meals on a limited budget. “We start with the basics of identifying tools such as skillets, how to use the stove, and also teach them basic math in relation to cooking and shopping,” said Kierath. “Another important part of our classes is we take our families to the grocery stores to teach them how to shop.” The field trip focuses on layouts of the grocery store, how to approach department managers, read labels, and more.
“We are combating hunger through education, and it becomes a generational as these lessons, skills get passed down. Our adults and children who participate not only learn the basics, but they become passionate and confident,” she added.
The six weekly, two-hour classes reach out to women, families, teens, and also has three courses translated into Spanish. With only a staff of three, GPAN looks to volunteers to help continue its mission to combat hunger.
“People can come teach our classes, help us buy groceries, or whatever you are talented in, we need all the help to get the message out,” said GPAN Volunteer Coordinator Marcia Rafig. Additionally, donating cooking tools and supplies or grocery store gift cards also help maintain Cooking Matters’ teachings to the families who benefit from the program.
In 2011, Cooking Matters Georgia taught 49 six-week courses to over 500 children and 800 adults. The national program, since 1993, has conducted over 4,300 classes and helped over 50,000 families.
“We are not just teaching them how to cook or read a grocery label,” added Rafig. “We are making people self-sufficient to eat healthier and feel better.”
To volunteer with Cooking Matters Georgia, visit www.g-pan.org
In Other News: Ten local businesses, In-Depth Wraps, Big Frog of Cumming Custom T-Shirts & More, Bodyplex Fitness, Brandywine Printing, CPR Momma, jTech Networks, Lenny's Sub Shop, Rooter Plus, Somedia Solutions, and Spencer Pest Services, worked together to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Collectively called Stick It 2 Cancer, the third annual fundraiser raised over $100,000 for LLS and its effort for cancer research and awareness.
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