By Susie Huser and Jackie Stevens | Donation Station Program Director
A lot is happening at CFI! It's because of our community of support that we're able to do what we do, so THANK YOU! We'd like to share with you about two big initiatives.
POTATO GIVEAWAY
On Friday, March 22, CFI hosted its annual seed potato giveaway, distributing nearly 30,000 pounds of seed potatoes to individuals and organizations throughout the region. Given an average of 8 pounds of potatoes produced from every pound of seed potatoes, this event enabled future provision of 240,000 pounds of food. How amazing! With the generous contribution of time and energy from businesses, partner organizations, and individuals, we were able to get all of these taters to families throughout Appalachia.
DISCOVERY KITCHEN WORKSHOPS AT OHIO UNIVERSITY
The Discovery Kitchen events that CFI has been hosting at OU have been a huge success! These free workshops are part of the Initiative for Appalachian Food and Culture, and help drive the demand for local food on campus through hands-on experience preparing recipes that highlight seasonal, regionally-grown food. OU and Athens community members make and share a meal together while learning about food access and the importance of a sustainable, thriving, and equitable local food system.
The workshops are led by COMCorps member Sierra Faris and Discovery Kitchen Intern Jackie Stevens with the help of Tom Stevenson, Visiting Assistant Professor for the Restaurant, Hotel and Tourism program. Recipes have featured winter squash, kale, and other produce available during these non-peak production months. Additionally, we have been fortunate to partner with the Patton College of Education in the use of their McCracken Hall kitchen.
This is what Stevens (DK Intern) has to say about the project:
The goal of Discovery Kitchen is to provide OU students and Athens community members with knowledge about food accessibility and local produce. The workshops are hands on. The community members get hands on experience cooking the meals!
We always incorporate local fresh ingredients from the farmers market into the recipes. In the past we have used kale and sweet potatoes, which come in all funky shapes and sizes. Some potatoes are the size of a small dog!
Those who attend step away with a new found confidence in the kitchen. One of our repeat attendees, Sharon, told us that “I had never used kale before, to be honest it intimidated me. But after working with it during Discovery Kitchen I cook with it all the time. It's so delicious.”
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