Community Kitchens

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= giving people the time, equipment, guidance and assistance necessary to prepare healthy meals in a busy world.

Description

"Here's how it works: first, a community of people plans a menu. They work together, or elect an organizer, to procure food. Sometimes the members themselves simply divide the cost, enjoying the savings that come with purchasing food staples in bulk. Sometimes the group gathers donations, or makes use of food from local food banks or similar institutions. No matter where the food originates, however, one important detail sets the community kitchen apart from soup kitchens or other feeding programs: the practice of preparing and sharing food communally. The people who will eat the food are the same people who help to cook the food, and by those rules, all participants are equal." (http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009954.html)


Discussion

"Community kitchens are also resilience-building institutions, contributing to the food security of a neighborhood or social group. Not only does the practice encourage new relationships and foster useful knowledge of basic cooking, nutritious meal planning and health safety, but also, it teaches very practical skills that protect participants in an emergency situation. "People who are involved with community kitchens become used to working with others in a way that is shared equally, and benefits everyone," says Collis. "Someone who is involved with a community kitchen would find it much easier to pull their neighbors in; they'll understand how to scale recipes to accommodate the larger group, and they'll have comfort in community organizing. It's a basic skill that dates back to people in the agricultural era of the 20s and 30s – they used to stretch their food all the time. When there's an earthquake, we might get so much food from the state, but if everyone pitches in and understands sharing, we can make the food last long enough to sustain ourselves." (http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009954.html)