In 2005, a coalition formed to look at continued sustainable funding for Cooking Fun for Families and to explore the potential for expanding the program to more communities in the province.
Betina Ali, Community Program Development Officer, School District No. 40 (New Westminster)
Betina Ali has been involved in community-oriented work since 1987, and is passionate about programming that addresses social issues. Betina is deeply committed to food security issues and currently co-chairs the New Westminster Community Food Action Committee. In 2004, she secured funding to pilot Cooking Fun for Families at 2 district schools. At the end of a successful and challenging pilot, she was instrumental in the establishment of a Vancouver-based coalition that secured funding from the Ministry of Health to look at the viability of launching Cooking Fun for Families province-wide.
Barbara Crocker, RD, MA, Community Nutritionist, Infant, Child and Youth Program - North Community Health Office, Vancouver Coastal Health
As a Community Nutritionist, Barbara helps the community create supportive environments for children and families to thrive. “CFFF provides a venue for families to access foods, cooking skills and social connections in a fun, positive and supportive environment,” she says. These are opportunities that parents and children state they love and want to do. She would like to share the stories of these families with others so that this model program may be considered in other communities.
Kathy Cassels, Executive Director, Directorate of Agencies for School Health (DASH) BC
DASH has a long history of connecting schools to programs and services that contribute to the health of students. Established in 1983, DASH is well known for mobilizing school health initiatives throughout the province and encouraging the health and education sector to work more effectively together in the school setting.
Diane Collis, Coordinator, Fresh Choice Kitchens
Fresh Choice Kitchens (formerly the Vancouver Community Kitchen Project) has been a supporter of the Cooking Fun for Families program in Vancouver for the past ten years. Using a community kitchen model‚ CFFF programs bridge school life with home life. CFFF‘s participatory learning helps parents and children realize that the meals created and the nutritional information at CFFF can be utilized at home. CFFF is a stellar example of the multiple positive benefits a community kitchen offers.
