COMMUNITY COALITION PARTNERS WITH JAMIE OLIVER’S FOOD REVOLUTION TO TEACH SOUTH LA YOUTH HEALTHY LIVING, COOKING
WHAT: Community Coalition is one of several local organizations partnering with Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution to teach African American and Latino youth how to cook and eat healthy this summer.
WHEN: The next class is this Friday from 12 to 2 p.m. at Challengers Boys and Girls Club [5029 S. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90037]. The sessions will last for five weeks.
WHY: The goal of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is to fight childhood obesity and help make communities healthier by teaching people – both kids and adults – how to cook and prepare healthy food. A mobile truck kitchen is stationed at the Challenger Boys and Girls Club where youth from various South LA organizations, including Community Coalition, L.A. Urban League, the Brotherhood Crusade, West Angeles Community Development Corporation and the Challenger Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp, are participating in classes and demonstrations on healthy cooking and living
“I like the classes because it’s really fun eating. We made pancakes – but we learned the good way to make pancakes,” said Joshua Ham, 16, a junior at Manual Arts Senior High School. Joshua is one of 10 members from Community Coalition’s youth program South Central Youth Empowered Through Action, participating in the Food Revolution program. “If you don’t know how to cook it’s good to learn – to know what you’re putting into your body. And it’s good to have homemade food so you know exactly what you’re eating and how much you’re eating.”
“This program shows that South LA parents, youth and residents in general want to be healthier and that in fact that there is great demand for healthier food options in South LA,” says Coalition President and CEO, Marqueece Harris-Dawson. “As an organization that has been working to improve the overall health and safety in South LA for the past 20 years, we want to support every opportunity to make it easier for people to live healthier lives – whether its through individual education such as programs like this or changing public policy and environmental conditions, such as reducing the overconcentration of liquor stores and increasing access to grocery markets in our community.”
So far, they’ve learned how to read nutrition facts found on labels of boxes like cereal to know how many calories and fat they consume and how many servings they should have a day. The cooking classes are led by chef-instructors that focus on hands-on, step-by-step cooking. “They’re really patient with you and teach you steps to make healthy and good food,” said Ham.
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