Once a month six groups of women and men meet in community kitchens to cook a meal together. Good friends? Yes. Good food? Delicious. Good fellowship? Of course.
But these Collective Kitchens are more than that. The cooks improve their skills. They learn about nutrition. They prepare appealing meals at low cost for their families. They meet other community members and discover common interests. Each month the group, usually 5 to 10 members, holds a planning meeting to choose recipes and set the cooking date. At the end of the cooking day, most members take food home to their families.
The Collective Kitchens are open to all community members; some sites can arrange for childcare. It's a great opportunity for new residents in the community, for people on a tight budget, for newcomers to Canada who want to learn how to use unfamiliar, low-cost local ingredients, and for people who want to be adventurous and explore new recipes, new ingredients, and new ways of cooking.
The Kitchens have lots of support: the Salvation Army gives money for ingredients and donates staples so there is a stock on hand; CCHS volunteers help organize; various community organizations donate space and equipment; the cooks themselves contribute $3 per person in the family to help cover costs each month. But we need your help: some kitchens lack basic cooking equipment - sets of good knives, cookie sheets, and baking pans of different sizes; some people who would like to participate cannot afford to pay; donations of special equipment that you no longer use, such as non-stick electric skillets, bread-makers, and food processors, allow the cooks to have fun and try new things.
Can you help our clever cooks learn new recipes and improve family nutrition? Call Tracey Fuller (722-4000) about adoption.
Carlington Community and Health Services is a non-profit community-based health centre,
- providing health and social services
- committed to the well-being of our community
- promoting social, economic, physical, mental and environmental health
- responsible to the community through an elected Board of Directors.
Our staff and volunteers work together to achieve these goals. For information on becoming a volunteer or a member, please call us at 722-4000.
![[graphic]](kitchen.jpg)