Youth in our community often face barriers to accessing healthy food due to economic challenges. Even when healthy options are available, they may not know what the foods are or how to use them in a way that's beneficial to their health. Additionally, many lack the skills necessary to help prepare meals or stay safe in the kitchen. To address these issues, we partnered with our Senior SNAP-Ed representative to host a two-day cooking class for Clover Buds.

The Clover Bud Cooking Series was designed for children aged 6-9. Our focus was on food safety, learning how to cut, measure, and prepare meals, as well as understanding the importance of a balanced diet using the MyPlate diagram. Each day, participants had the opportunity to prepare an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. All recipes were selected from approved NEP materials and emphasized trying new, healthier foods. We had a total of eleven participants.

Post-session surveys showed that 100% of survey participants strongly agreed they learned how germs are transferred to food, the importance of handwashing to prevent germ spread, how to measure ingredients, and felt more confident in helping with cooking at home. Sixty-six percent of participants strongly agreed they learned how to safely handle a knife, now feel comfortable cutting produce, and understand how to read and interpret the MyPlate diagram. Most participants also expressed strong interest in future programming. One parent shared, "My child had a wonderful time at cooking camp! Thank you for the opportunity! She looks forward to additional camps in the future."

Additional follow-ups indicated that participants were more enthusiastic about helping in the kitchen and felt more confident in meal prep.