FLACS COOKS

Family Life Academy Charter School I (FLACS I)  FLACS I and its sister schools, FLACS II and FLACS IIIare located in the poorest Congressional district of the nation (CD 15) which also has the highest hunger index in the U.S. Over 90% of our students qualify for free lunch, an indicator that reflects the high poverty level of our community. For many students, the food they eat in school is the main meal of their day. In response to this reality, our school moved away from pre-packaged, frozen, low-nutrition meals seven years ago when we started a vegetable and herb garden (tended by students, staff and parents) to start teaching a “from seed to table” way of eating. Chef Bennett Fins was hired shortly thereafter and he continues to prepare nutritious, well-balanced hot meals daily in our kitchen for students. Some of our kitchen equipment is in need of repair or replacement. We received a donation of used but good equipment from a private school. However, we need $10,000 to move it out of storage, install it and to also replace some items so that we can continue our healthy food program without interruption. An outgrowth of our food program has been the FLACS Cooking Club that has become the favorite elective in our school. Under the guidance and stewardship of Chef Bennett, Junior Chefs learn the proper use of professional equipment and cooking techniques along with lessons on healthy eating. Chef Bennett also conducts parent and child cooking workshops so that the benefits of our program can be extended to the home. Parents learn the benefits of healthy eating and how easy and economical it can be to prepare nutritious meals for the entire family.  Parents as well as teachers appreciate the benefits healthy eating can have on the overall ability of students to focus and learn. My name is Noemi Santana (also known as Flacs West) and my job at FLACS includes helping bring the necessary resources in support of a well-rounded and excellent educational experience for our students. The FLACS Network of schools FLACS website was created by caring and committed people from the community and our parents are very involved at many levels. I firmly believe that a good education is the way out of poverty, hunger and ignorance and ask you to support FLACS I with your donation so that we can continue to nurture mind and body in tandem.FB Page