Food Skills for Families

Connecting people in the kitchen, teaching hands-on cooking skills and making healthy eating, grocery shopping and cooking easy, quick and fun.

About

Making dough

Food Skills for Families is a hands-on skill building program developed by dietitians and educators. The program strives to create welcoming environments where food, food knowledge, practices, skills and traditions are shared amongst, and between, participants and facilitators in the community.

All participants experience the rich social benefits of cooking and eating together while learning and sharing cooking skills, food knowledge and basic nutrition.

Programs

With a focus on developing healthy relationships with, and through food, five unique programs are offered to engage the following priority populations:

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Sessions

Programs run over the course of six sessions taking place each week. Sessions are three hours long and are held in a community kitchen. Programs follow the schedule below.

Healthy eating; Vegetables, fruits & whole grains; Protein & fats; Planning meals snacks & beverages; Shopping tour; Celebration

Reports & Evaluations

Evaluations

2023-24 Infographic Evaluation

2022-23 Infographic Evaluation

2021-22 Evaluation Report

2019-2020 Evaluation Report

Reports

2023 Facilitator Engagement Report

(Full Report) (Executive Summary)

Peek Inside a Program

Content Editor ‭[4]‬

Programs

Food Skills for Families offers unique

in-person cooking programs.

Food Sense

Healthy Cooking on a Budget

Focuses on creating healthy meals at a low cost. Recipes ask for minimal and readily available ingredients to keep costs low. Each recipe also includes tips on how to do easy modifications at home using ingredients that may already be on hand.

A sample recipe from Session One in the Food Sense program is Banana Oat Muffins. Using over-ripe bananas reduces food waste and helps sweeten the muffins naturally.

Food Sense Participant Handbook

Cooking Connections

Cooking for the Active Senior

Designed for seniors, this program focuses on eating well and staying active for overall health. It is designed to meet the needs of older adults and provides an opportunity to meet new friends and reinforces healthy eating habits.

This program includes a number of versatile recipes like Roasted Root Vegetables which encourage participants to use a variety of ingredients.

Cooking in Canada

Healthy Cooking for Newcomers

Designed for those new to Canada, this program provides a safe environment for newcomers to ask questions about the Canadian food system and includes discussion around what may be unfamiliar ingredients such as canned or frozen vegetables and fruits. Sessions demonstrate how to use a variety of kitchen equipment and utensils, and tips on preparing school lunches.

Participants will practice using the oven to cook a number of recipes including a Marvelous Minestrone Soup.

Download Sample Recipes

Get Involved

Making granola bites

Participate in a Program

Join an In-Person Program

Programs run over the course of six weeks with one session taking place each week. Sessions are three hours long and are held in a community kitchen.

Find an upcoming program below and get in touch with the organization to participate, or contact your local community organization to request a program.

Upcoming Programs

Join an Introduction Pilot Program

Introduction Pilot Sessions are a sixty-minute mini version of the three hour in-person Food Skills for Families programs. The program may be a single session or a series of two or three sessions and are offered in-person or online.

Check with your local organization to see if they are hosting an Introduction Pilot or check back here for session availability.

Upcoming Programs

Host a Program

Host an In-Person Program

If you work for an organization interested in hosting a Food Skills for Families program, please review the Host Requirements document for more information.

Host Requirements

Participants: Programs are designed for adults (aged 19+). Individuals aged 13-18 are allowed to participate under certain conditions, see section Youth in the Kitchen below for more information.

Facilitators: Programs are instructed by certified Community Facilitators who have each attended a 3.5-day Train-the-Trainer program. Organizations are encouraged to have staff certified as Community Facilitators. If your organization does not have a staff member trained there may be local Community Facilitators who can lead a program for you.

Expenses: Costs associated with running the program are shared between the organization hosting the program and the BCCDC. Cost covered by the BCCDC includes groceries and participant handbooks. Full time Food Skills for Families program staff are available to provide support by phone and email.

Returning Organizations: If your organization has previously hosted a program contact the Food Skills team directly to set up your next program.

New Organizations: To become a partner organization submit a New Host Application Form to the Food Skills Team.

New Host Application Form‎

Youth in the Kitchen

Food Skills is currently testing a youth pilot with the goal of developing a new curriculum for youth in the future. In the meantime, youth aged 13-18, are allowed to participate when a parent or legal guardian is also signed up. Hosts can also run programs exclusively for youth provided they meet the BCCDC Youth Guidelines and have a certified Food Skills Facilitator on staff who is able to deliver the program as part of their regular job.

Host an Introduction Pilot Program

Host an Introduction Session

Food Skills for Families is currently offering the Introduction Pilot. This pilot program is run as a sixty-minute mini version of the three-hour in-person Food Skills for Families program and may be a great way to inspire your community to join a full six-session program. The pilot may run with a single session or a series of two or three sessions using an in-person or online format.

To learn more and how to request an Introduction Pilot, review the guidelines below.

Introduction Pilot Guidelines

A checklist of pilot requirements is below.

Introduction Pilot Requirements

Facilitate a Program

Become a Facilitator

Partner organizations are encouraged to train staff to deliver the Food Skills for Families program by sending qualified staff to a 3.5-day Train-the-Trainer program.

Applicants are expected to be skilled cooks and experienced in community facilitation. The training teaches facilitators how to lead the Food Skills program through practical hands-on learning.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Have a passion for improving community wellness through food skills development and healthy eating.
Be employed by an approved Food Skills partner organization.
Be an experienced facilitator with proven history of leading community programs.
Be able to deliver the program as part of current role. No funding is provided for staff wages.
Able to deliver first program within six months of training.

Ideal candidates may include:

Community Kitchen Facilitator
Food Security Coordinator
Community Programmer
Community Health Representative
Community Nurse or Dietitian
Family Support Worker
Life Skills Worker
Pre/Post Natal Worker
Settlement Worker

Costs

There is no cost to register for the training provided an individual meets all the requirements. Organizations are responsible for covering travel and accommodation costs during the training. Once trained the BCCDC will provide materials and cover grocery costs in support of the program.

Get on the Invite List

Submit a Facilitator Application Form to be notified about upcoming training opportunities.

Note from the Food Skills Team on Upcoming Trainings

The training is currently on hold as we are working on updating the program. Your application will be added to our waitlist. It is important to us that the program continues to meet the needs of BC's diverse communities in these ever-changing times that are affecting our food environments, and to better support Community Facilitators in this critical work.

Last year, the FSF team underwent a series of Regional Engagements with small groups of FSF Community Facilitators (CFs) across the province to gain community input and suggestions to help evolve the FSF program. As we work to incorporate community feedback into the curriculum, so too will the trainings begin to evolve.

While we work hard to get the trainings back up and running as soon as possible, we must also take the necessary time to ensure that the updates are intentional, and grounded in ways that will support CFs in facilitating the evolving program. We are delighted, and humbled, by the number of individuals wanting, and waiting for the Train-the-Trainer.

Facilitator Application Form‎

Facilitator Re-Certification Process

Completing the Training

After training, facilitators are required to lead their first program within six months to complete the certification.

Maintaining Certification

To maintain the certification facilitators are required to lead at least one program every 24 months.

In general, after a facilitator has not lead a program for 24 months they are considered inactive and archived in the system. This means they will no longer receive the facilitator newsletters, sign-up for webinars or general communication directed to facilitators. It also means that if they want to run another Food Skills program they may be asked to recertify. Recertification methods are outlined in the document below.

Facilitator Re-Certification Outline

Facilitators will be notified prior to the six month and 24 month deadlines. If unsure, connect with the BCCDC Food Skills team to verify if recertification is required.

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