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Community cooking program draws strong evaluations; organizers ask for funds to expand
Summary
Organizers reported 20 cooking classes across 13 locations with 105 evaluations (mostly five‑star), 17 recipes and significant participant reach; they urged additional funding to sustain and expand the program after SNAP‑Ed support ended.
Lisa Galena introduced a community food‑security initiative and said staff used ARPA and USDA partnership funding to pilot hands‑on community cooking classes across the county. Lindsay, who led the instruction, told the committee the program ran 20 classes over 10 months at 13 unique locations with varying formats (station‑based in 2025 and demonstration‑style in 2026) and reached dozens of participants per event.
Lindsay said the program used a small set of affordable kitchen tools—air fryers, slow cookers and immersion blenders—to teach 17 recipes tied to equipment, and that expanding household‑based registration allowed classes to reach more people than household sign‑ups alone would suggest. She reported 105 evaluation responses with largely five‑star scores and cited participant feedback showing behavior change: many reported using the equipment weekly and reproducing recipes at home.
Organizers highlighted strengths (networking across municipalities, evidence‑based curriculum from Cornell) and challenges (rising food and equipment costs and the loss of SNAP‑Ed funding). "We got 105 evaluations and most rated all categories five stars," Lindsay said.
Staff asked the committee to consider mechanisms for continued funding, noting the program’s role in food security and local procurement of produce. The committee did not take a formal funding vote at the meeting but signaled support for seeking additional resources.
