Cooking up a Plan
- Denise Christopherson
- 09 Dec 2015
Women who come to live at YWCA Hamilton’s 65-bed residence are all escaping their own unique circumstances. Some have struggled with homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental illness or violence. However, they all share something in common. They have nowhere else to go.
At YWCA Hamilton, we believe that every woman deserves a safe, affordable place to live. We also believe that all women have a right to the nutrition they need to rebuild their lives. But YWCA Hamilton receives no funding to feed the women in our Transitional Living Program, forcing residents to stand in line at food banks and hot meal programs. We want to change that.
At the Table is the social enterprise catering company initiative at YWCA Hamilton that has a goal of providing healthy meals and training opportunities in the kitchen that help women transition into meaningful jobs in the food sector. For the women who live here, the reality of finding employment and housing can seem impossible when they lack access to nutritious food and job training.
In 2015, At the Table launched Be the Recipe for Change, a culinary experience with a social purpose that invites members of the community to donate their time and money to help feed women who are desperate for food. This interactive cooking class is an opportunity for a group of friends (maximum of six) to gather, learning to prepare, cook and present a beautiful meal to the residents of YWCA Hamilton. The Be the Recipe for Change initiative is proof that giving back to the community can be a lot of fun!
Members of the Hamilton community have already rallied to support Be the Recipe for Change, sending a message to women in our Transitional Living Program that they matter. The more support we gather for Be the Recipe for Change, the more meals we can provide to women and the more women we can train and employ in the kitchen.
I believe in funding solutions, not symptoms. When we give women the nutrition and skills they need, we’re empowering them. But don’t take it from me. I recently heard the story of Claudean, a YWCA Hamilton resident who has just secured affordable housing after nearly two years of living here. She called working in the YWCA kitchen her “new start.”
“Every day I work in the kitchen, I feel like I’m achieving something positive,” said Claudean. “Working in the kitchen teaches me and my coworkers responsibility and gives us the opportunity to build a resume. For me, it’s helped me put a plan in place for my future.”
Working in the kitchen has given Claudean a chance to feel good about herself and her abilities. Claudean’s is a success story, but we see the same potential in many women in our Transitional Living Program. In order for them to reach this potential, the women who live here need access to food and training opportunities.
We know that people in the Hamilton community are busy, especially during the holidays. Even if you can’t come in to cook a Be the Recipe for Change dinner, we would love for you to “adopt a meal.” When community partners sponsor a meal for $300, YWCA Hamilton does all the planning, shopping and cooking, but the end result is the same. All 65 women in our Transitional Living Program receive a warm, healthy meal.
I can’t help but think of how many lives we could change with the support of the entire Hamilton community. Food shouldn’t be a luxury, but for many of the women who live at YWCA Hamilton, it is. Join us at the table as we work together to improve the lives of women in our city.
Where the name “At the Table” came from:
Several years ago, a resident living in the YWCA Hamilton’s Transitional Living Program participated in our collective kitchen. The concept of the collective kitchen was that women from the Transitional Living Program would create menus, shop, cook and eat their meals together. One women made a very memorable comment that resonated with the staff for years to come – she commented on how great the food was and how wonderful it was to eat a meal at the table. This experience marked the first time in her life she had enjoyed a meal with others.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment