Cooking with the Community: Addressing Food Insecurity Through Equipment Provision and Professional Instruction

Abstract

Introduction: Food insecurity is a common problem with many associated negative downstream health impacts. Despite government sponsored and private supports, many individuals struggle with making healthy, nutritious meals. Penn State's Cooking with the Community program was constructed with the objective of providing cooking equipment and instruction to increase knowledge of healthy cooking techniques and increase consumption of underutilized food pantry ingredients. Methods: Four cooking demonstrations were held over an 8-month study period in 2021 designed to educate participants on underutilized and seasonally available ingredients. Each demonstration was professionally led by a chef who taught cooking skills and the use of different equipment which was subsequently gifted to participants. Participants were surveyed before and after each demonstration to assess cooking perceptions and comfort using Likert scales. Final analysis was completed in 2022 using mixed effects models to analyze changes from pre- to post-demonstration. ResultsThere were 34 total participants. Statistically significant improvements were seen in confidence in cooking (mean increase of 0.5, SD = 0.2, p-value = 0.031, 95% CI: 0.1-1.0), confidence in preparation of a simple recipe (mean increase of 0.6, SD = 0.2, p-value = 0.013, 95% CI: 0.1-1.0), and confidence in cooking new foods (mean increase of 0.6, SD = 0.3, p-value = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.1-1.1). Conclusions: Cooking with the Community provides valuable information on how cooking confidence may be boosted within vulnerable populations by providing cooking equipment and professional instruction on its use.