Page 9 FoodShare By Basia Henoch, Community Schools Coordinator “I can’t get enough of this Miner’s Lettuce!!” What great words to hear coming out of an eight year old’s mouth. Josie learned about this edible “weed” during a Kids Get Cooking class at Georgia Avenue School in Nanaimo. A favourite community partner of Community School Coordinators in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools is Nanaimo Foodshare. This after school program is just one of the many services that they offer. A non-profit society whose mandate is to bring sustainable food systems to Nanaimo, Foodshare works with groups of all ages to make food sustainability an achievable goal. Other samples of their programs include: The Good Food Box, the Seniors Legacy Project, the Food Security Assessment and Access Project, the Urban Farm Project, Setting the Table and Cultivating Activities. The Kids Get Cooking Program is a popular out of school program where children learn basic kitchen skills and get fabulous new recipes. Classes include healthy and easy to prepare appetizers, snacks, entrees, drinks and desserts. Each class has a theme and includes planning, preparation, cooking and baking in a safe and fun environment. After preparing the food, they eat what they’ve prepared and take the recipes home. Up to ten children per session work under the supervision of an adult facilitator and student assistant. As a Community School Coordinator I’ve seen first-hand how well received this program is by children of all ages as well as their parents. It’s not unusual for people to taste a smoothie that has kale in it for the first time, or to learn how to incorporate local foods such as the Miner’s lettuce mentioned above that’s often freshly picked from the school garden. Community School Programs Kitchenless Cooking Rock City Elementary Starting Oct 23 @ 2:45pm Kids in the Kitchen Pleasant Valley Elementary Mondays, starting Nov 26 @ 1:45pm Email Community Schools Coordinator Basia Henoch Parents and Kids Cook Together Georgia Avenue Community Tuesdays, starting Nov 13 @ 5pm Teens Rule the Kitchen John Barsby Community Tuesdays, starting Feb 12 @ 3:15pm Email Community Schools Coordinator Susan McGonigle