Written by Tanya Terry, with photos provided by Mission Possible
Mission Possible and their partners identified food insecurity, limited access to fresh meal and youth engagement during afterschool time as urgent local needs. So, the organization has now created the NourisHER+HIM program to address these needs! They are offering the free culinary arts summer program from May through August on a “drop-in” basis.
Gianna Oliver, program manager of Mission Possible, said the City of Flint has made the free classes possible by becoming a sponsor. Mission Possible also received generous grants from CVIPI (Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative) and Prestige Promotions.
“Most students get their meals from school,” said Oliver. “So, we try to bridge that gap by creating an afterschool program, which will be on Thursdays and NourishHER+HIM on Saturdays. We want to help the community the best that we can.”
The programs are for K-12 students, as well as the students’ families. In the programs, participants will learn to prepare healthy, affordable meals. Oliver pointed out, the program could spark interest in the children to becoming chefs or owning a culinary business.
“We also added families to the program this year,” Oliver added. “So, it’s not just about building skills for one person in the household, but for the whole household.”
Oliver shared with the Courier that Mission Possible reached out to their three sponsors, and they were very excited about trying to help!
“They also saw that the community needed something else to help students to learn new skill sets, and we all wanted to make it affordable and close by.”
Participants will receive a Kroger gift card after the completion of their class.
“They can take it and make the same exact meal we make in class, or more meals. Most of our meals that we teach our students are meals they are able to break down or versatile it. A few weeks ago, we made shredded chicken tortillas. But, you can also make nachos; you can also make quesadillas. I explain in our class how you can do multiple things with the meals we make.”
Oliver shared that another goal of the program is to introduce the children and their families to foods they may have never tried before, including new fruits and vegetables, which could help create a new food palate.
Other goals of the program include:
Wellness education
“First of all, we want to be able to teach nutrition and balanced meals,” said Oliver. “You want to try to get almost every color of food on your plate, and that should almost indicate that you’re getting a balanced meal. We also explain what different food types and group do the long run to help you.”
Strengthening family and peer relationships through shared cooking
“When we did our Mother’s Day event and made stuffed chicken at the NourisHER event last year, I think that’s what really sparked our wanting to do family groups. We saw the bond and the shared experiences that the students had with their mother, and we were like ‘wow, we really need to do this for the whole family…whoever wants to come and cook with their child or niece or nephew-because it’s opening up different conversation pieces and opening up different levels of comfort that the child now has with their parent because they can bond over something new.”
Teamwork and communication
“In the kitchen you absolutely need to communicate, especially walking around with hot pans and sharp objects. It literally forces that gate open to work as a team. We kind of separate the tables by group, and that’s what kind of guides that. It’s not a forceful thing. It’s just because we’re in the kitchen.”
Budgeting
“With budgeting, we tell them what we pay for our products and what today’s meal costs. Then, also, we tell them how we can use the same products with other items and make other meals. So, if a meal costs $10, you may have enough to make two other meals.”
Oliver noted the program may help create urban chefs, gardeners or people who want to raise poultry. So, she stated students will build skills to help them move into the workforce.
A fundraiser will take place to help the students get personalized jackets to “give the students a sense of individuality and ownership.”
For details or to register for NourishHER+HIM for ages 6-16 or the Family Cooking Classes for ages 4 and up, email missionpossible.com@gmail.com.
