Volunteer FAQs

Qualifications

 

Volunteering
Logistics
Participants
Organizations

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Qualifications

  • Am I qualified to be a Cooking Matters MA culinary instructor? If you’ve worked in the culinary industry and/or attended culinary school, are proficient in knife skills, basic cooking techniques, kitchen safety/sanitation, and basic ingredient substitutions, you’re qualified!  You should be able to successfully and comfortably teach basic cooking skills and techniques to our participants. If you’re a current culinary student, you’re welcomed to volunteer, however you may find that filling in as the course assistant before taking the lead instructor role may be beneficial.
  • Am I qualified to be a Cooking Matters MA nutrition instructor? Our nutrition instructors have education in nutrition, are Registered Dieticians, nutrition professionals, and nutrition students, past and present.  You should be able to successfully and comfortably teach nutrition lessons based on MyPlate, MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines in a shared group setting.  If you’re an undergraduate nutrition student, you are welcome to volunteer but may find that volunteering as a course assistant first may be beneficial before taking the role as lead Nutrition instructor.
  • Am I qualified to be a Cooking Matters MA course assistant? There is no specific training or experience needed to be a successful course assistant.  If you have an interest in food, nutrition, healthy living, and putting an end to childhood hunger but don’t want to jump into the instructor role (at least not yet), being a COurse Assistant is the right role for you!  The course assistant provides support to the lead instructors: an extra pair of hands during class, helping set-up and clean-up. The assistant is not expected to provide cooking or nutrition information, but this role can also provide an aspiring culinary or nutrition instructor with the opportunity to experience the  6-week course before determining if the lead instructor role would be suitable.
  • What other skills do I need to be a Cooking Matters MA course volunteer? The ability to work as part of a volunteer team, basic public speaking skills, comfort working with people from diverse backgrounds, and the ability to multi-task are ingredients for a great volunteer experience.  Flexibility, good improvisation skills, and the ability to laugh at yourself are also necessary.  Prior teaching experience is an added bonus!`
  • Are there other non-course volunteer opportunities available? Yes, we have other volunteer opportunities to be filled!  We have one-time volunteer opportunities, including setting up Pots & Pans or food drives for us, volunteering with Taste of the Nation each year, becoming an advisory board member, helping us with administrative work, or volunteering as a course grocery shopper.

Volunteering

  • What are the steps to becoming a Cooking Matters MA volunteer?Visit our “Become A Volunteer” page to see which volunteer role best fits you.  Once you fill out the volunteer interest form on that page, you’ll get an email about attending a New Volunteer Training.  In addition to training, we strongly urge volunteers to observe one Cooking Matters class.

 

  • Where and when are New Volunteer Trainings held? New Volunteer Trainings are held on the 4th Monday of each month from 6-8 pm at the Cooking Matters office in Quincy, MA.  Additional trainings are scheduled in the Metro West, Worcester, and Fitchburg areas, and during daytime hours in the Boston area.  Check out our “Trainings and Events” page for more details and dates.  We’re flexible and try to accommodate other schedules, so let us know if none of the dates/times work for you.
  • Can I observe a Cooking Matters MA course before I begin volunteering? We strongly urge you to see a Cooking Matters class in action!  In fact, part of the volunteer training process includes a class observation. We recommend that class visits happen during the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week of a course.  Take a look at our Course Schedule to see when/where our classes are held and contact Mimi with your preferred dates.
  • I volunteered with Cooking Matters MA (formerly Operation Frontline) a long time ago.  Do I need to go through the training process again? In addition to our name change, our curricula have changed, and we have a lot of new resources available to help train our volunteers.  If you haven’t volunteered with Cooking Matters MA for a few years, you might want some training to familiarize yourself with our new curricula.  If you’d like to attend a New Volunteer Training, find a date on the “Trainings and Events” page and contact Mimi.  We also just rolled out some awesome new online training videos.  They’d be a great refresher!
  • I can’t commit to a 6-week session.  Are there other opportunities for me to be involved with Cooking Matters MA? Yes!  If you are interested in being a course volunteer but cannot commit to teaching a 6-week course, you might be able to share the role with a friend or associate.  Additionally, we do have volunteer opportunities that do not necessitate a 6-week commitment: help us plan events, staff tables at health fairs, photograph our classes, and help us in other capacities.  We aim to put the strengths and talents of our volunteers to good use.
  • I feel strongly about eating organic/shopping locally/eating vegetarian/etc…Can I weave this into my Cooking Matters MA lessons? We love that our volunteers are passionate about food and nutrition, but many of our participants are just beginning to think about making healthier food and nutrition choices.  Share your passions and healthy eating tips in a way that invites discussion and is sensitive to different perspectives.  All nutrition lessons are based on MyPlate, MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines, and all class recipes use readily-accessible and affordable ingredients.
  • How can becoming a Cooking Matters MA volunteer help me? Beside meeting cool new people, making connections in the culinary and nutrition fields, and building your public-speaking and people skills, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re serving others and making a positive impact in your community.  Here’s another perk: if you instruct 15 courses, you’ll be inducted into our Volunteer Hall of Fame at the annual Share Our Strength Conference of Leaders in Washington, DC—quite an honor for our most-dedicated volunteers!
  • How much time will be required of me each week as a course volunteer? 3-4 hours per week.  (2 hours of class time, 30 minutes before and after for set-up and clean-up, and maybe an hour of prep)
  • Do volunteers have to do anything other than show up to class each week? Throughout the 6-week session, you’ll be part of a class team, including a Cooking Matters staff coordinator and the other course volunteers.  Planning each week’s class is a team effort and usually takes place over email or phone.  It’s important for volunteers to communicate with the team regarding recipes and class logistics.  Taking a look at the lessons in the instructor guide is a good way to prepare yourself for each class.  Having a plan and arriving to each class at least 30 minutes ahead of time will allow you to prepare and set up your space properly.

Logistics

  • How long are the courses and when do they meet? Each course meets for two hours, once a week, for six weeks.  Courses are scheduled Monday through Thursday, 9am-8pm and Fridays, 9am-3pm for the same day and time each week.  We ask that volunteers and participants attend all six weeks.
  • Where are Cooking Matters MA courses located? The majority of courses are offered in the Greater Boston area, MetroWest, Worcester, and Fitchburg, but we’re also in the North Shore and SOuth Shore.  Look for us soon in Central and Western MA, too!  If you’re interested in volunteering in Central or Western MA, please contact Jessica Maillet, our Western MA Manager.
  • I watch a lot of cooking shows.  Are Cooking Matters MA classes similarly organized? The Food Network is great to watch–it supports our No Kid Hungry campaign–but not to model classes after.  As opposed to cooking shows during which the chef demonstrates dishes without any assistance, Cooking Matters classes stress 100% participant interaction.  Your course participants are the chefs, bakers, and line cooks working alongside the chef as a team.  The culinary instructor may initially demonstrate how to properly measure a cup of flour or cut an onion, but the purpose of our classes is for our participants to get hands-on cooking experience and instruction.
  • How are Cooking Matters MA classes structured? As a course volunteer, you’ll get to your site 30 minutes before the start of class to prepare and set up the kitchen and classroom space.  Though cooking and nutrition are weaved together throughout the entire 2 hours, your course team may find it beneficial to conduct a more in-depth discussion about the nutrition concepts with the participants for a sit-down portion of the class.  Part of the class time is spent having a discussion-based nutrition lesson, while the rest is spent preparing recipes from our curricula that reflect the day’s nutrition message.  Clean-up is usually finished within 30 minutes of the end of class.  Classes for adults and for young parents include a grocery store tour during the fifth week, too.
  • How do the instructors work together? Along with the staff coordinator, volunteers work as a team both in and out of the classroom.  Between classes, the team organizes  class layout.  During class, the culinary and nutrition instructors co-lead participants through the nutrition lessons and recipes.  The goal is that each class does not feel like two separate classes but one nutrition-based cooking class.  While each instructor is “in charge” of his/her portion of the lesson and serves as the primary facilitator of that component, both instructors should be involved throughout the class time.  Reinforcing key nutrition concepts while cooking, and vice versa, will help the participants understand the connection between the two lessons.  It can be a bit of a dance—and sometimes toes are stepped on—but ideally this team teaching approach enables the instructors to learn from each other and for the participants to have access to the most accurate and relevant information throughout the entire class time. 
  • What is the role of the Cooking Matters Course Coordinator? Each Cooking Matters course is assigned a staff coordinator.  The course coordinator is present at each class and is the “go-to” support resource for you as a volunteer.  The coordinator serves as the liaison between CMM and the community organizations that host our courses.  The course coordinator’s job is to make sure that each class goes as smoothly as possible by communicating with the course volunteers each week regarding class planning and timing.  The course coordinator brings all necessary kitchen equipment, ingredients, handouts, and class materials based on instructor and class needs.
  • What kind of support system exists for volunteers? The Cooking Matters staff is committed to providing our volunteers with the best possible experience and appreciates any feedback that can help us make the experience even better for all our volunteers.  Additionally there is a network of MA volunteers that can support each other and share tips for success (like this one:  ”Watch our nifty Volunteer Training Videos!”).
  • Are lesson plans provided? Yes, we’ve done all the work for you!  The national Cooking Matters staff has developed curricula for all volunteer instructors and course participants.  Nutrition content is based on MyPlate, MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines; recipes use accessible, low-cost, nutritious ingredients and have been cost- and nutrition-analyzed.  As a culinary and nutrition instructor, you’ll get an instructor guide that includes lesson plans, activities, handouts, and recipes for each week.  The different Cooking Matters curricula offered in MA are Cooking Matters for Adults (with different addenda for HIV, Diabetes, and Parents of Preschoolers), Cooking Matters for Families, Cooking Matters for Kids, Cooking Matters for Young Parents, and Cooking Matters for Teens.
  • How do I know where I’ll be volunteering and what kind of space I’ll be working in? The Cooking Matters course schedule is available online and lists any available volunteer opportunities.  Once you’ve signed up as a course volunteer, the course coordinator will email you a Site Information form that includes pictures and/or descriptions of the site’s kitchen and teaching space.  While some sites are equipped with commercial or otherwise fabulous kitchens, other sites have smaller kitchen spaces or none at all.  (If there is no “actual” kitchen space, the coordinator will bring the necessary portable equipment to class–induction burners, toaster ovens, blenders, etc.  We often rearrange our teaching areas to make the space fit the needs of the class.
  • Are there ever instances that result in a scheduled Cooking Matters course being cancelled? While we don’t like cancelling courses, the most common reason for the cancellation of a Cooking Matters course is low participant enrollment. We encourage our partner organizations to recruit a minimum of 8 participants for a class. If, during Week 1, less than 8 participants show up, it is up to the discretion of the coordinator with input from the volunteers whether or not to run that class the first week. If, during the second week, a total of at least 8 participants has not been recruited by the site, the course is subject to cancellation. Volunteers will be reminded of this during the pre-course communiciation they will have with their course coordinator.

Participants

  • Who participates in Cooking Matters MA courses? Cooking Matters courses are for lower-income families and individuals.  The majority of our participants receive SNAP benefits (formerly Food Stamps) and may access programs like WIC or local food pantries.  Our different curricula serve different age and lifestyle groups from a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.   Not everyone shares the same views about food, nutrition, or eating, so it is important to be sensitive to different beliefs and cultures.
  • Do all the participants speak English? No.  All Cooking Matters curricula are available in English and in Spanish, but we do occasionally offer courses that are for Portuguese, Creole, or Cantonese speakers.  If the participants do not speak English the organization hosting the course provides an interpreter.
  • Do participants have cooking and nutrition experience upon attending the course? Participant experience varies.  While some of our participants may have very little cooking experience, others have cooked for years and are looking for new techniques and recipes.  For many of our participants the Cooking Matters course is often their introduction to basic nutrition principles.
  • Does Cooking Matters MA recruit participants to take courses? The community organizations that we partner with to host courses are responsible for recruiting participants who they feel will benefit from attending a nutrition-based cooking course.
  • Can participants come to any of the classes in the series? Cooking Matters is not a drop-in program so we encourage participants to attend all six classes of a course from the beginning.  Participants may not join the course after the 2nd week, and if a participant attends at least four out of six classes in a course, he or she is considered a “graduate” of that curriculum.
  • What do participants receive as part of attending a Cooking Matters MA course series? At the end of each class, participants receive the day’s recipes and adult participants receive a bag of groceries containing the ingredients needed to make the dish at home for their families.  All course participants receive a copy of the course curriculum—a resource containing nutrition, food safety and food budgeting information and numerous healthy, low-cost recipes.  During the last class, anyone who has attended enough classes to graduate will also receive a certificate of completion and a few gifts.

Organizations

  • Who hosts Cooking Matters MA courses? Cooking Matters MA has partnered with over 170 different community organizations such as ABCD Head Start, Associated Early Childcare & Education, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Boston, Frisoli Youth Center, South Middlesex Opportunity Council and Growing Places Garden Project.
  • How do we choose which organizations to partner with? All the organizations who host Cooking Matters courses are non-profit, community-based organizations that serve low-income populations.  These sites recognize that the population that they serve could benefit from attending a nutrition-based cooking course and have the necessary space and/or facilities to offer our courses.