Preparing a meal together binds a family, offering elders and mentors an opportunity to guide the younger generations on a path that provides nourishment for the body and soul.
The Carrier Sekani Family Services Community Kitchen program has been around for 12 years. The program has a mission to provide families living on reserve in Saik’uz, Nadleh Whut’en, Stellat’en, Takla, Yekooche, Lake Babine Nation, Burns Lake Band, Wet’suwet’en, Nee Tahi Buhn, Skin Tyee and Cheslatta with access to support and resources to ensure to meet the needs of their children, like holistic wellness and safety.
The long-standing program is now part of the Maternal Child Health department that pre-pandemic saw a team member visit a community once a month to host a cooking party where, with provided ingredients, participants would make a meal to take home to share with family and elders.
Usually there were between five and eight families that would gather for these occasions.
The pandemic changed all that.
To keep the connection during the pandemic, team members continued the program by dropping off ingredients on the door steps of the families who were participating and then asked them to tune in to an instructional video created by a friendly face as their guide.
Now there's many videos available for viewing through YouTube and Facebook by staff or well known community members.
The most popular recipes have been placed in a cookbook that is free to download. Hard copies of the book were gifted to participants during the holiday season.
The Community Kitchen Cookbook is free to download at https://bit.ly/2Kw0aQC.
