One might think that Cooking Matters volunteers are all alike. They’re all committed to the same cause; therefore, they must have similar backgrounds, passions, beliefs, and ideas. Actually, the opposite is true. These past five months, I have met the most incredible and diverse volunteers through Cooking Matters.
For example, one volunteer I recently met initially got became involved with Cooking Matters to fulfill a community service requirement for a class. She continues to volunteer because, she remembers a time when she had a very negative relationship with food. She feels that if Cooking Matters had been available at that time, her relationship with food would have been much better. She volunteers with the specific goal to empower people to build positive relationships with food based on the lessons taught in Cooking Matters.
Another volunteer has a very different background and reason for wanting to end childhood hunger. As a stay-at-home-mom with a degree in nutrition, she was shocked by the stories her children’s friends shared about the meals they had at home and at school. They were frequently not receiving proper nutrition and had no idea how to cook for themselves. Recognizing that education was key to changing the food problems in her neighborhood, she joined Cooking Matters to bring nutrition and culinary tools to her community.
These are just two examples of individuals responding to an internal call to action by volunteering with Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters. You don’t have to have a fancy degree or a specific background to join Cooking Matters. You can volunteer for any number of reasons, and by bringing your unique experiences, you add value to each Cooking Matters course.
Why not volunteer today?
