I may have been trolling an inspirational sign site the other day...
An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus and keep aiming. -unknown
I think I figured it out. No. I'm sure I figured it out. I'm trying so hard not to sound like I'm on a manic upswing. I'm trying to be calm and rational. What do I want to do with this degree and where do I see myself in the years to come? Those are the questions that have been plaguing me all semester.
So remember how I said I feed people? That that is my thing? It got me thinking. I took a look at some of what frustrated me at CHI, in the supermarket, in my own circle of acquaintance. People aren't confident in their ability to cook. Some don't know how, some think they can't do it as well as the prepackaged, and some think it's too expensive. Others get that box of donated food from church or the food bank and don't use half of it because they don't know what to do with stuff.
We need to think outside of the box. We need to think bigger than just the hamburger helper and the mac & cheese. We need to think outside of the happy meal, the charity box, and the big box store.
I know it's not more expensive to cook at home. I know that I can cook something edible out of almost nothing. I know that I can eat well on $30 a week which is what statistics show is the average food stamp benefit allotted in my state.
I learned to cook at my mother's arm, under the watchful eye of my grandmother and aunts. I am still amazed at their abilities. Last summer I watched my father's cousin skim pan drippings by simply pouring it out of the pan slowly. I was in awe, knowing that my mother and I hadn't even attempted to perfect that skill. Later I learned, the hard way, about nutrition. About how much sugar and fat was in the things I loved and how it was killing me. I studied hard because my life literally depended on it and I gain a knowledge of how what I eat affects me.
But I'm not a dietitian and I'm not a professional cook. I found out in my internet searchings that people like that level of legitimacy if you want to head up a cooking class or volunteer with a world wide charity organization.
Well the big fancy charity organization isn't operating in my community anyway. So far as I can tell, no one's really operating in my community. The email I sent the big operation told me to find a local corporate partner willing to participate in their program. Here's one of the eligibility points:
The cost to a lead partner agency of running a C**** M**** program is $70,000 per year at a minimum.
$70,000!?! To teach people how to shop smarter and cook healthier? Man, that's diving right in to the big leagues. That's a big investment to ask of anyone local.
So the question arises, Why do I need the big boys? Why can't I do it on a small scale? Why can't I do it myself, here, with this community? So that's what I'm going to do. Not today, not tomorrow, and probably not even next year, but I want to do it. I want to start my own non-profit.
I just needed a goal, a destination. The rest is all just discovering the road. First steps: get into the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Start volunteering, beg them for an internship or a real job, and run with it. Make up menus and recipe booklets and start sharing them with people at the food bank. Ask what people want to learn, figure out what they need to know. And while I'm doing all this, I need to work on a business plan, a description of the big picture and the steps to accomplish it. Oh and a grant writing class. Yeah. Next semester if possible.
It's big, but it's doable, don't you think? I'm crazy aren't I? I don't care. I'd love to help people by cooking for the rest of my life.
So help me out. Comment or Email me your best recipes. My email addy is leastewart @ gmail.com. If you can send me healthy, inexpensive recipes, all the better, but I'll take whatever you've got. That thing that you were surprised you could make, or that makes people hug you when you bring it to a party. Dig through your gram's recipe box and ask your friends and neighbors. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's the start. The first step away from the box. :D
I think I figured it out. No. I'm sure I figured it out. I'm trying so hard not to sound like I'm on a manic upswing. I'm trying to be calm and rational. What do I want to do with this degree and where do I see myself in the years to come? Those are the questions that have been plaguing me all semester.
So remember how I said I feed people? That that is my thing? It got me thinking. I took a look at some of what frustrated me at CHI, in the supermarket, in my own circle of acquaintance. People aren't confident in their ability to cook. Some don't know how, some think they can't do it as well as the prepackaged, and some think it's too expensive. Others get that box of donated food from church or the food bank and don't use half of it because they don't know what to do with stuff.
We need to think outside of the box. We need to think bigger than just the hamburger helper and the mac & cheese. We need to think outside of the happy meal, the charity box, and the big box store.
I know it's not more expensive to cook at home. I know that I can cook something edible out of almost nothing. I know that I can eat well on $30 a week which is what statistics show is the average food stamp benefit allotted in my state.
I learned to cook at my mother's arm, under the watchful eye of my grandmother and aunts. I am still amazed at their abilities. Last summer I watched my father's cousin skim pan drippings by simply pouring it out of the pan slowly. I was in awe, knowing that my mother and I hadn't even attempted to perfect that skill. Later I learned, the hard way, about nutrition. About how much sugar and fat was in the things I loved and how it was killing me. I studied hard because my life literally depended on it and I gain a knowledge of how what I eat affects me.
But I'm not a dietitian and I'm not a professional cook. I found out in my internet searchings that people like that level of legitimacy if you want to head up a cooking class or volunteer with a world wide charity organization.
Well the big fancy charity organization isn't operating in my community anyway. So far as I can tell, no one's really operating in my community. The email I sent the big operation told me to find a local corporate partner willing to participate in their program. Here's one of the eligibility points:
The cost to a lead partner agency of running a C**** M**** program is $70,000 per year at a minimum.
$70,000!?! To teach people how to shop smarter and cook healthier? Man, that's diving right in to the big leagues. That's a big investment to ask of anyone local.
So the question arises, Why do I need the big boys? Why can't I do it on a small scale? Why can't I do it myself, here, with this community? So that's what I'm going to do. Not today, not tomorrow, and probably not even next year, but I want to do it. I want to start my own non-profit.
I just needed a goal, a destination. The rest is all just discovering the road. First steps: get into the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Start volunteering, beg them for an internship or a real job, and run with it. Make up menus and recipe booklets and start sharing them with people at the food bank. Ask what people want to learn, figure out what they need to know. And while I'm doing all this, I need to work on a business plan, a description of the big picture and the steps to accomplish it. Oh and a grant writing class. Yeah. Next semester if possible.
It's big, but it's doable, don't you think? I'm crazy aren't I? I don't care. I'd love to help people by cooking for the rest of my life.
So help me out. Comment or Email me your best recipes. My email addy is leastewart @ gmail.com. If you can send me healthy, inexpensive recipes, all the better, but I'll take whatever you've got. That thing that you were surprised you could make, or that makes people hug you when you bring it to a party. Dig through your gram's recipe box and ask your friends and neighbors. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's the start. The first step away from the box. :D