Community Action for Healthy Eating

Challenges

The challenges for Community Kitchens include location, transportation, and leadership. Some people feel intimidated when they are in institutional settings like schools. Organizers need to find locations where members are comfortable; this may mean making formal surroundings informal by creating a relaxed atmosphere. Other possibilities are Community Centres or people's homes.

Transportation is an even bigger challenge for Community Kitchens than it was for the cooking classes. It is very difficult for people to go home on the bus when they are carrying their shares of four or five different recipes, some of them hot. One option is to carpool; some SPAN volunteers have driven other Kitchen members. Since 1997, SPAN has overcome the transportation challenge by encouraging people in the same block or neighborhood to run Kitchens.

Leadership is a significant challenge for Community Kitchens. It is not possible to assign this role to the staff of community organizations: they are cooperative and supportive, but very busy. One way of overcoming the leadership challenge is to approach an existing social or community service group. They bring together people in similar circumstances, whether they are parents, senior citizens, students, or other clusters of people who share interests. They already have leaders and infrastructure. It is easier for these groups to add Community Kitchens to their action plans than it is to start a new group specifically for Community Kitchens.

For example, SPAN partnered with the Brighter Futures Coalition to develop Kitchens. Another is the nurse who took the first copy of the Community Kitchens video. She was heading off on a cross-island tour to talk with seniors, some of whom rely on foodbanks. Kitchens create opportunities for healthy eating as well as socializing and saving money - issues which are important for seniors.