Program Overview

Your Local Partner - Gleaners Community Food Bank

Gleaners is proud to offer three unique opportunities to bring Cooking Matters programming to your community in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, and Monroe counties.

Cooking Matters Courses: We offer six-week Cooking Matters courses to adults, parents, kids, teens, families, and child care providers. Each course is team-taught by a volunteer chef and nutrition educator and covers meal preparation, grocery shopping, food budgeting, and nutrition. Adult participants take home a bag of groceries at the end of each class. Adults, Parents, and Families classes are also available in Spanish.

Cooking Matters at Home: These flexible format, topic-driven session provide participants with education about how to prepare healthy meals on a limited budget. These one-time sessions are intended for parents, caregivers, and seniors and can be offered as stand-alone sessions or combined into a series.

Cooking Matters at the Store (CMATS) Tour: Cooking Matters at the Store tours provide adults with hands-on education as they shop for food, giving them skills to compare foods for cost and nutrition. Participants learn how to plan and budget for healthy, affordable, and delicious meals for their families. Tour is available in English and Spanish. A version of the tour is also available for WIC participants.

Cooking Matters at the Store (CMATS) Pop Up Workshop: The Cooking Matters at the Store Tour brought right to your location. This is a good option that eliminates the need for transportation to a different site, and provides a quiet and convenient space to learn and have discussions.

Cooking matters 6-week courses

Target Audience: Courses are available for Adults, Parents, Families, Kids, Teens, and Child Care Providers (EXTRA for Diabetes and EXTRA for Wellness available for Adults courses, requires funding). Learn more about our curricula HERE

Time Commitment: Classes meet two hours per week for six weeks (Child Care Professionals classes are longer sessions that meet six hours per week for two weeks)

Instructors: Classes are led by a course coordinator, culinary instructor, nutrition instructor, and classroom assistant

Cooking Component: Each week a new recipe will be made in class, led by a trained culinary instructor

Number of Participants: 15-18 participants recruited in advance

Participant Incentives: $10 worth of groceries each week (for Adult participants), free cookbook with over 60 recipes and nutrition information, small cooking tools to keep and use at home, certificate upon graduation

Site Requirements: 1. A designated site coordinator for the series 2. A program-free space reserved for 4 hours to allow for setup and clean up 3. Assistance with building access 4. Access to running water, hand soap, and paper towel

Cooking matters at home sessions

Target Audience: Topic-driven sessions are available for Parents, Caregivers of children, and Seniors.

Time Commitment: Classes meet for one hour.

Instructors: Classes are led by a course coordinator, culinary instructor, nutrition instructor, and classroom assistant

Cooking Component: Each week a new recipe will be made in class, led by a trained culinary instructor

Number of Participants: 15-18 participants recruited in advance

Participant Incentives: $10 grocery store gift card (for Adult participants), free handouts with recipes and nutrition information, small cooking tool to keep and use at home

Site Requirements: 1. A designated site coordinator for the series 2. A program-free space reserved for 3 hours to allow for setup and clean up 3. Assistance with building access 4. Access to running water, hand soap, and paper towel

Cooking Matters at the Store (CMATS) Tours

Target Audience: Adults

Time Commitment: One-time event (45 – 60 minute tour of the grocery store)

Instructors: Tour facilitator

Cooking Component: None

Number of Participants: 5-10 participants recruited in advance

Participant Incentives: $10 grocery gift card, reusable grocery bag, and booklet with nutrition information, shopping tips, and recipes

Site Requirements: Grocery store willing and able to accommodate the tour

Cooking Matters at the Store (CMATS) Pop Up workshop

Target Audience: Adults

Time Commitment: One-time event (1 – 2 hour shopping and nutrition lesson at your location)

Instructors: Tour facilitator

Cooking Component: None

Number of Participants: 15-18 participants recruited in advance

Participant Incentives: $10 grocery gift card, reusable grocery bag, and booklet with nutrition information, shopping tips, and recipes

Site Requirements: 1. A designated site coordinator for the series 2. A program-free space for the duration of the workshop