Ernest Lover has been very open with his struggles as a young man with nutrition and often helps out at local food pantries and kitchens, especially during the holidays. When he moved from Baltimore to Sarasota, Ernest and his wife sought out a new, local not-for-profit organization to volunteer with. During the holiday season, they started working with Second Chance Last Opportunity for their holiday food drive. But as the couple got settled into the area, they wanted to do more to give back. Together, Ernest and his wife created a new after school life skills program for the local youth that teaches them how to make cheap and nutritious family meals. The program includes 12 weekly lessons in which the students learn a new recipe. The dishes that they make are packaged and sent home with them for their families. And at the end of the program, each student receives a virtual cookbook complete with shopping list and estimated costs for the ingredients.
Ernest and Constance worked with Second Chance Last Opportunity to apply for grant funding to buy the cooking equipment for a 15 person class, but fund the ingredients as their own contribution (in addition to their time). After a successful first run, they are looking forward to the next iteration of the class, complete with their first intern—a graduate of the first course of the class who will work with them to purchase ingredients, develop the recipe book, and create an “alumni” network of students to stay motivated to eat healthy.
Ernest and Constance worked with Second Chance Last Opportunity to apply for grant funding to buy the cooking equipment for a 15 person class, but fund the ingredients as their own contribution (in addition to their time). After a successful first run, they are looking forward to the next iteration of the class, complete with their first intern—a graduate of the first course of the class who will work with them to purchase ingredients, develop the recipe book, and create an “alumni” network of students to stay motivated to eat healthy.
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