Perla and her two children live in Colorado. It’s a crowded household, with three generations living under one roof. Perla learned about Cooking Matters through the kids’ school and signed up to take the class with her mother. “We really loved it,” Perla says.

Matilde lives in Arkansas with her teenage son and her mother. Matilde describes herself as a careful budgeter, always comparing prices and writing a grocery list. Cooking Matters taught her to compare foods for their healthfulness, as well as their cost.

Paul, Kim and their children live near Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. They learned about Cooking Matters through their Head Start center, where Kim volunteers. They are now making small changes to the way the family eats at home: buying less junk food, cooking often and eating more fruits and vegetables.

Belinda is a young mom from Massachusetts. Since taking Cooking Matters, she makes her family’s meals more colorful by adding vegetables. “I think about how cooking food is healthier than putting food in the microwave. I think it’s healthier for my daughter,” she says.

Nutrition instructor Magie Young helped start the Cooking Matters program at the Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston, S.C. In 2013, she won Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters Volunteer of the Year Award. One of the greatest things about Cooking Matters is its flexibility, Magie says.

When Massachusetts-based chef Steve Dunn began looking for volunteer opportunities a couple years back, he wanted to share his passion for cooking in a way that would really change lives. Over the course of the nine courses he’s taught so far, the Cooking Matters experience delivers on this promise every time.