Seeking volunteers to assist our Cooking Facilitators with cooking and nutrition education classes.
About Cooking Matters
Cooking Matters offers cooking and nutrition classes focused on maximizing food resources to community members in low-income areas. We provide hands-on education, combining cooking, nutrition, menu planning, budgeting, kitchen safety, and sanitation.
Each Cooking Matters class is led by a team of three trained volunteers – a Cooking Facilitator, a Nutrition Facilitator and a Class Assistant – who work alongside a staff coordinator to facilitate fun, lively, and informative classes for participants. Volunteers work with the participants on educational activities and preparing a shared meal. Classes are held at community organizations, public and transitional housing sites, schools, and other service-providing agencies throughout Seattle and King County.
Cooking Matters Class Assistant
Volunteer class assistants help instructors and facilitators with classroom setup, food preparation, class activities, and cleanup. Other duties may include packing groceries for participants to take home, unloading and loading kitchen equipment, and washing dishes. Volunteers with an interest in cooking and/or nutrition are encouraged to apply for this position.
Time Commitment
Classes meet once a week for six weeks. Each week the classes require a time commitment of two hours plus 30 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cleanup. All together for one course series, you will commit about 19 hours of volunteer time, in addition to any lesson planning and prep. We’re looking for volunteers who are interested and able to commit to actively volunteering in classes for one year.
Training
Once you attend the Solid Ground New Volunteer Orientation and complete the volunteer application process, please attend our Cooking Matters New Volunteer Training, where you will learn more about Cooking Matters and volunteer expectations, including getting your Food Worker Card. Next you will be asked to observe a class already in session. After the orientation and observation, you will be able to sign up for any open volunteer class positions.
Qualifications
- Interest in food justice/food security, cooking, nutrition education
- Ability to work with staff, volunteers, and participants with a variety of racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, lifestyles, and sexual orientations
- Ability to be nonjudgmental, positive, respectful, creative, consistent, and flexible
- Willingness to work both as part of a team and independently
Scroll down to apply & view upcoming volunteer orientations.
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color), and people with the lived experience of poverty are strongly encouraged to apply. This opportunity also qualifies as an RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) activity.
Solid Ground believes poverty is solvable.
Volunteers play a critical role in helping us meet basic needs, nurture success, and promote change – so everyone in our community can achieve their full potential.