There’s nothing like good food and friendship to bring people together.
When you add to the mix teaching young mothers how to cook nutritious and healthy food and allow volunteers to give back to the community, it’s a recipe for success.
And that’s exactly what has happened with the Community Kitchen program that has been offered to local residents through the Desert Sun Resource and Counselling Centre over the past five years.
As program co-ordinator Nancy Aatelma pointed out, there are not enough people in and around Osoyoos and Oliver who know about this program or else they would be feeding more people through the Community Kitchen.
The concept of the program is to bring volunteers with some cooking skills together and have them teach young mothers some of their tricks in the kitchen.
It also allows young mothers – and their children – to get out of the house and make new friends in a friendly and cordial setting.
The program is offered every Thursday morning during the school year in the downstairs hall and kitchen at the Osoyoos Baptist Church.
During a recent visit, you can’t help but smell the sweet aroma of tasty food being cooked by a small group of dedicated volunteers.
Inside the hall, a small group of parents gather and talk, while trying to forge new friendships.
Meanwhile, a group of children are smiling while playing together and basically having a wonderful time.
Around noon, the entire group of volunteers, young parents and their children sit down to enjoy a hearty and nutritious meal.
Several of the volunteers with this program have been sharing their cooking secrets through the Community Kitchen for several years.
It’s a simply wonderful program that fosters community spirit, camaraderie and sharing the secrets to cooking healthy, nutritious and affordable food.
Kudos to Desert Sun, Aatelma and a small army of dedicated volunteers for organizing a community program that helps so many.
While most of the volunteers and young parents and children are from Osoyoos, residents from Oliver and the surrounding area are more than welcome to get involved.
There’s no doubt that once more people find out about this wonderful program, they will jump on board and get involved.
Kudos are also in order to the Osoyoos Baptist Church for donating the use of their kitchen and the downstairs hall for the Community Kitchen program.
It’s programs like this truly exemplify what community spirit and goodwill is all about for so many of us.
