Kids Kupboard offering new weekly cooking demonstrations

WASILLA — Kids Kupboard is currently offering a new weekly service involving cooking demonstrations with locally sourced ingredients.

Kids Kupboard is working directly with the UAF Extension Farm to offer these weekly demonstrations. SNAP-Ed nutrition educator Adair Harman leads the demonstrations utilizing a variety of healthy and wholesome ingredients to make colorful food creations.

“You make it fun,” Harman said.

Harmon used various fruits and vegetables to make nutritious smoothies at Nunley Park July 15 during the first demonstration of this new series. She said the kids couldn’t even tell there were vegetables in the smoothies and gulped them up with glee.

“They’re really into it,” Harman said.

Families that attend the cooking demonstrations also receive the materials used for that class to bring home and try themselves. There will be demonstrations at various Kids Kupbpard food distribution sites across the Mat-Su Valley.

“We’re thrilled about it,” Kids Kupboard Executive Director Lynette Ortolano said.

Ortolano said they were able to start this new endeavor thanks to a grant through the Mat-Su Health Foundation. She said the plan is to only use locally grown produce for the rest of the summer, and they primarily receive their crops from Singing Nettle Farm based out of Lazy Mountain.

“I don’t think there’s a better solution for food insecurity than the ones we have right here in our community,” Ortolano said. “It’s the best our state has to offer our kids. There’s no better nutrition than what’s being grown right here.”

Ortolano said they’re aiming to offset cooking demonstrations at the majority of their sites by the end of the summer. She said demonstrations are held Wednesdays and Friday, and they will post the locations and times on social media.

With the back-to-school season fast approaching, Kids Kupboard is preparing for another busy school year feeding children across the Mat-Su Borough School District through distribution sites in addition to maintaining their mobile routes for rural students

“We feed year-round,” Ortolano said.

According to Ortolano, Kids Kupboard serves over 1,200 children daily. She said they’ve seen a huge increase in overall support from the community which is greatly encouraging for their mission to serve as many children as they can, one meal served with a smile at a time.

“It’s been great. Everybody’s happy too,” Ortolano said with a laugh. “Our volunteers just really enjoy serving kids.”

For more information, visit kidskupboard.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com