Success StoryCooking Across Cultures: Nourishing Skills for Refugees
Cooking Across Cultures: Nourishing Skills for Refugees
Author: Ola Donahue
Planning Unit: Kenton County CES
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Plan of Work: 2024 2025 Nutrition, Food Systems, and Health
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
As of September 2023, we are making great strides in combating food insecurity among refugees in Kentucky, which currently ranks 4th in the nation for refugee arrivals. With around 26 million refugees worldwide, an alarming 80% face food insecurity, leading to malnutrition that begins early in life and disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, particularly women. In resettlement areas like Kentucky, food security is a critical challenge. Refugees struggle to find affordable cultural foods, which can be both costly and hard to procure. While many participants have essential cooking skills, their unfamiliarity with new foods and preparation methods adds to their difficulties. The dual barriers of high food prices and low incomes significantly restrict their ability to access familiar and desired food items, making this issue particularly urgent given Kentucky's growing refugee population. In response, we have partnered with Kentucky Refugee Ministries in Covington to launch an innovative cooking program designed specifically to meet these needs. This initiative aims to empower participants by introducing them to healthy food options, essential cooking tools, vital food label information, and foundational cooking skills. The program convenes monthly, serving refugees who are in various stages of the resettlement process. Participants come from diverse backgrounds and share the challenge of limited English proficiency. Although the program has just begun, initial results are promising. Our first year saw robust attendance, with participants expressing enthusiasm and reporting that they learned valuable, practical skills. We believe this initiative will have a meaningful impact on enhancing food security among Kentucky’s refugee communities, and we look forward to assessing its positive effects as it continues to evolve. w.
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