I run the cooking program as part of the EDGE afterschool program at Charlottesville's Walker Upper Elementary School. This semester we have one class a week with about sixteen 5th and 6th grade children. While we do get some funding from the school and have some equipment, it is limited.

I am asking your help to make sure I have enough equipment to round out what has been both donated and purchased for the program while also filling in food budget gaps. I would like to have decent cutting boards, paring and chef's knives for every student. We need more small bowls and a few frying pans. A waffle maker has been donated and a few more would mean we can do a waffle class! We'd also like some immersion blenders for when we make soups (staff currently bring our own in). Additionally, I'd like to have a little more money in our food budget to open our choices up a bit more. We currently have about $1/student/week which can limit the recipes we make.

Among the recipes we've made in the past are egg rolls, tomato soup, mini-quiches, mac & cheese, homemade granola, fruit and yogurt parfaits, kale chips, crepes,
open face roasted veggie sandwiches, mango salsa,  cranberry orange muffins and vegetable jambalaya. The kids love cooking and are more likely to try something new if they made it. They each receive a cookbook of the recipes we made at the end of the semester so that they can show their new skills off and recreate their favorite recipes at home.

Thank you for your support. The kids are learning life skills and having fun while doing it.