Orientation

Hunger Free Vermont Hunger Free Vermont is an education and advocacy organization with the mission to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Incorporated in 1993, we are a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to providing nutrition education and expanding access to nutrition programs that nourish Vermont’s children, families, and communities.

The Learning Kitchen… A brief Overview The Learning Kitchen (formerly Cooking for Life) is designed to improve food security for children living in families with limited budgets. Participants are provided with the skills necessary to make nutritious food choices through hands-on preparation of healthy meals.  A series of six lessons  Hands on cooking and nutrition education  TLK is available for middle-school youth, young adults, and adults in low-income areas and at sites that serve low-income populations

How to maximize nutrition on a tight budget How to plan and prepare a well balanced meal How to cook from scratch with simple, affordable ingredients How to understand basic nutrition concepts in order to make healthy choices in today’s food environment How to find nutrition information on food labels and what to look for How to set and keep track of personally meaningful goals around nutrition and physical activity TLK participants learn:

A coordinated, system-wide approach is needed to reverse the current national environment that promotes caloric overconsumption and discourages physical activity, along with individual choices within that environment that have contributed to high levels of overweight and obesity. According the latest dietary guidelines:

A coordinated, system-wide approach is needed to address food and physical activity behaviors…

Teaching about nutrition Holding cooking classes Sending home information for parents and families to use Opportunities for collaboration: School wellness programs working to improve school meals and the school food environment Wellness policies that address food served at parties, fundraisers, and school events Think BIG Picture School garden and farm-to- school programs Other nutrition education efforts in classrooms or service projects, community and church gardens Social marketing programs to change norms around the food environment and healthy eating As SEM demonstrates, changing behavior requires multiple approaches….

Best Practices Incorporate features that have shown to be effective such as: Behaviorally-focused messages – curriculum is based on the Social Cognitive Theory of behavior change Motivators and reinforcements that are personally relevant to the target audience – taste tests, reinforcement items provided by HFVT, weekly check-ins Multiple channels of communication to convey messages – letters for parents, e-newsletters, opportunity for meal programs to serve TLK recipes on menu and for participants to help promote school meal program Approaches that provide for active personal engagement – hands-on activities, weekly take-home challenges Intensity/duration that provides opportunity for multiple exposures to the message – hours of class time

Through this grant: The Learning Kitchen is more sustainable The Learning Kitchen can reach more Vermonters The Learning Kitchen is part of a state-wide initiative to improve the likelihood that low-income Vermonters will make healthy food choices within a limited budget and choose physically active lifestyles.

Point of Purchase Prompts Healthy food and beverage choices in school cafeterias

Target Audience The USDA Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program is intended to serve SNAP participants and low-income individuals eligible to receive SNAP benefits or other means-tested Federal assistance programs. In Vermont, SNAP is referred to as “3SquaresVT” “Other means-tested Federal assistance programs” include: Free/ reduced price school meals Reach Up WIC Anyone whose income is at or below 185% poverty level is considered eligible More than half of all participants in your series must be part of this target audience

Do you plan to serve full meals or provide take-home ingredients? Where to look: Local stores or co-ops Food pantries Community members – gardens or financial support School garden or farm to school program Local farmer or farmers’ market – gleaning Tie into Afterschool Meal Program Contact us if you’d like help brainstorming ideas in your area!

Follow-up materials E-newsletters – participants can receive via if they provide an address on the attendance sheet Parent letters – send home each week with youth participants 3SquaresVT outreach fliers Provide to adult participants at first class, or make available to parents at pick up for youth series Participant Recruitment Fliers Use these to recruit participants for your series! Use the flier with the parent signature line for youth series Organization Tools for You Fidelity Tool Action Checklist TLK Paperwork SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education Program Information Participants over 18 fill out their own (hot pink) Only one form needed for classes where most participants are 17 & under – host or instructor can fill this out (purple) Attendance sheet (green) Weekly Check-In Form (blue) Request for Funding Form (white) Expense Report Form (yellow) Photo Release Form (optional) TLK Evaluations Food Behavior Checklists (participants take at 1 st AND last class.) Subjective Evaluation (coral) give to participants at last class NOTE: hosts, chefs, and educators - please take Survey Monkey evaluation!

Attendance and Evaluations First class Administer Food Behavior Checklist Every week Take attendance Record Weekly Check-in information (weeks 2-6) Last class Administer Food Behavior Checklist AND Subjective Evaluation Hosts, Chefs, and Nutrition Educators: be sure to take Survey Monkey evaluation!

Recipes and Chef Notes Focus on 1-2 useful cooking techniques based on the recipes you have chosen Set up cooking space in advance – plan carefully and keep track of time! Have strategies for regrouping

Other Resources: Oregon State University Extension edu/foodsavings/ Iowa State University Extension Also, ask your school food service director to share recipes…and share your recipes with them!

Participants should leave the series feeling comfortable in the kitchen to prepare meals for their families Have fun! Show participants cooking does not have to be a chore. All hands on board! TLK encourages learning by doing! Offer demonstrations on important topics like chopping, kneading, or sautéing; let the participants take it from there. Remember your audience. Many participants live on limited budgets. Try to keep tips simple and easy to do with limited equipment. Chef Tips

What can hosts expect from Hunger Free Vermont? 1. Funding for The Learning Kitchen is provided to cover the cost of producing food samples for 6 lessons ($150 limit) and to provide for instructors ($300 limit)*. Stipend payments will be issued directly to the instructor(s). The $300 stipend allowance can be used to compensate a person, or be divided among people who are delivering The Learning Kitchen lessons. 2. An Instructor Guide will be provided to assist the chef and nutrition educator in leading The Learning Kitchen at your site. The Guide will need to be returned to Hunger Free Vermont, although you may instead request a PDF file and print your own copy. 3. Materials to use for leading The Learning Kitchen activities. These teaching aids will belong to the host site and can be used again when hosting The Learning Kitchen in the future. They will not need to be returned to Hunger Free Vermont. 4. Recipes for participants to take home. Each participant will receive a set of recipe cards to reinforce the recipes learned in class. 5. Reinforcement items for class participants to promote lesson messages or reinforce completion of take-home challenges or program graduation at the final class. Hunger Free Vermont will provide these items to the host. 6. Information to share with your community, including parent letters (for youth series), blurbs for your own newsletters or website, and follow-up e-newsletters for participants and parents that reinforce lesson messages and offer new tips and information. 7. Support and assistance throughout the process of planning and hosting a Learning Kitchen series at your site.

What can Hunger Free Vermont expect from hosts? 1. Recruit a qualified chef and nutrition educator to lead the series. Instructors need not be professionals, but should be well-versed in cooking techniques (chef) and health and nutrition (educator). Hunger Free Vermont continually seeks and trains new instructors. Please contact HFVT for help or tips for recruiting an instructor. 2. Attend a Learning Kitchen orientation. Orientations are required for all personnel involved in a Learning Kitchen series beginning after October 1, Identify additional levels of support. For series being conducted at schools and other sites that run programs, HFVT strongly encourages including an administrator and/or member of the food service staff in the orientation so that they can learn how to support the lessons throughout the school or site. Support staff, parents, wellness committee or PTO members, and other interested members of the community are also encouraged to attend. Orientations are also appropriate for potential donors of food for a series, such as farmers, store owners or representatives from local food pantries. 4. Recruit eligible participants. More than half of participants must be income-eligible. Most Learning Kitchen classes have 8-11 participants, although many have up to 16. If you have fewer interested participants, please contact us for more information. 5. Maintain careful records and administer evaluation surveys at the beginning and end of the series. Records include a weekly attendance sheet and tracking form, as well as copies of receipts for all food purchases. If pictures are taken during the series then it will be necessary to collect photo authorization forms as well.

Submit a Press Release!

TLK Curriculum: Instructor Guide Lesson Instructions Handouts Activity Bank Background Information Recipes Return to HFVT or print your own

Nutrition Education Activities

Are you interested in being trained to provide this orientation in your area on behalf of HFVT? Great volunteer opportunity! Must complete involvement with an entire TLK series first Can we list your class on our website for people to find who might want to participate in your area? Final Notes

Katy Davis Nutrition Education & Outreach Manager Thank You! Anna Kaufman Anti-Hunger and Opportunity Corps – VISTA Sumra Harper-Deas Nutrition Education Initiatives Specialist