New Partnerships Facilitate Cooking Classes at Weld Food Bank

Recent figures show that approximately 1 of 6 people and 1 of 4 children in Weld County are hungry. Weld Food Bank’s goal is to lead and engage our community in the fight against hunger. For the past thirty years, the organization has been proudly serving the hungry in Weld County through partner agencies, food box distribution, and children’s programs.

In January 2011, Weld Food Bank completed construction on its commercial kitchen.  The kitchen has enabled the growth of the food bank’s child feeding programs and the start of several new programs, including 2 types of cooking classes.

In a partnership with Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters, Weld Food Bank has been hosting free cooking classes that focus on easy, healthy, and affordable meals. These classes meet once a week for 6 weeks and are taught both by our Kitchen Manager Gloria Picinini and a volunteer nutritionist. This fiscal year, the food bank plans to host 4 series of classes with additional funding from the Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County.

As a fundraiser, Weld Food Bank has been also partnering with local chefs to teach recreational classes for the community.  The classes began in May 2012 and have included a variety of themes such as Middle Eastern cuisine, sushi, tapas, and gourmet salads.

These cooking classes are typically held on weekday evenings and culminate in a shared meal. Weld Food Bank charges individuals a fee of $50 for attending. All profits from the class go towards funding 2 children’s feeding programs, Kid’s Cafe and Summer Feeding.

If you are interested in learning more about Weld Food Bank’s programs or signing up for a cooking class, please follow this link.