Pipestone Flyer
Each month, between 100 and 150 families in the Beaumont, Calmar, Leduc, Leduc County, Devon, New Sarepta, Thorsby, Nisku and Warburg walk through the doors at the Leduc and District Food Bank looking for help to feed their families and are given a month’s worth of food to help them make ends meet when families have fallen on hard times.
To help those families find new and creative ways to use the staples provided by the Food Bank, Leduc Food Bank executive director, Gert Reynar, said they have launched a pilot project this week.
Once a week, clients will be able to work with volunteers to learn how to make the best use of what is in the hampers.
“We’re giving them the tools to do things differently and answer questions they may have,” she said.
In speaking with food bank clients, Reynar said they repeatedly heard they don’t know what to do with the food they’re getting, and don’t recognize what some of it is or how to cook it.
“Everybody knows something but working together to figure things out. We’re giving them the opportunity and ability use those foods and to use them in new and creative ways.”
The once a week cooking workshops, which started Oct. 10, will give clients a taste for the basics, but also present new ideas for everyday items. This could be learning how to cook with legumes, or taking apart Kraft Dinner and finding a different way to use it.
“There’s many ways to use Kraft Dinner rather than following the directions on the box,” said Reynar.
The eight week program will start with between 10 and 15 clients. Following its completion, Reynar said they will consider continuing beyond that.