Host a Cooking Matters Class at your Agency

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Host a Cooking Matters Class at your Agency

Follow these guidelines to determine if your agency is eligible to host a Cooking Matters course

Does your agency:

Serve families within 185% of the poverty level who are able to cook at home or are working towards self-sufficiency?
Have space for 12-15 participants to take part in a 6-week cooking and nutrition course or a 3-week financial course?
Have a staff person to recruit participants and make weekly reminder phone calls for class?
Agree to Cooking Matters’s contract and host agency responsibilities?

If you answered yes to the questions above, consider which of Cooking Matters’s available courses best meets the needs of the population you serve. Click Here for course descriptions.

Ready to Host a Course?

If your agency meets the above criteria and has identified what type of course you are ready to offer, please email a CM coordinator to find out more information about hosting a cooking and nutrition class or a financial literacy class at your local agency. Please contact the Coordinator that correlates with the county where you would like to have classes.

Megan Hildebrandt (Denver County)
Betsy Ambrosino (Boulder, Jefferson and Adam counties, surrounding metro area)
Becky Mares (El Paso and Pueblo counties)
Erin Jolley (La Plata, Montezuma, and Archuleta counties)
Christina Morgner (all other Colorado locations)

¡Cooking Matters Colorado habla español! Si tiene preguntas en español, por favor comuníquese con Betsy Ambrosino, Coordinadora Bilingüe de Cooking Matters, bambrosino@strength.org.

Recruiting participants to fill a Cooking Matters course can be challenging. Follow these tips to start off on the right track:

Start early! Have a sign-up sheet and make sure to get phone numbers so you can follow up with interested candidates.
Recruit more participants than needed to fill a course.
Hang flyers in hallways, bulletin boards and other high-traffic areas. Ask for a flyer from your Cooking Matters coordinator.
Talk up the perks: In-person instruction from a chef and nutritionist, FREE groceries, curriculum book and incentives given out in each class.
Have a past Cooking Matters graduate share their experiences with new clients.
Teach your staff or coworkers about Cooking Matter courses. The more people are aware of the courses, the more people to spread the word.
Participants who complete 4 out of 6 classes earn a graduation certificate at the end of the course. Past participants have added this to their resume!
Participants can use classes as an opportunity to get to know other families and friends in their area.
If your agency has other programming taking place, make a brief announcement and leave a sign-in sheet.
Remind participants that they need to commit to the full 6-week course.
Ask your Cooking Matters coordinator for a “commitment letter” if you think having participants sign an agreement will help them follow through for the full 6 week course.