Partner

Share Our Strength partners with local, regional and state-wide nonprofits and social service agencies to offer Cooking Matters’ uniquely effective brand of food skills education to families in their own communities. Our long-term goal is to have a Cooking Matters program in all 50 states, within reach of any family who wants to learn how to plan, prepare and shop for healthy meals on limited resources. Each year we get closer to that goal by developing new franchise-style partnerships.

Partnering with Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters offers these important benefits:

  • Proven, evidence-based and collaborative program model.
  • Specialized curriculum and program materials developed by nutrition, culinary and education professionals.
  • Rigorous evaluation system that demonstrates outcomes and impact.
  • Regular training, technical assistance and curricula updates from Share Our Strength.
  • Network of Cooking Matters programs around the country to share with and learn from.
  • Potential for grant funding from Share Our Strength.

Local partners are fully responsible for and have complete authority over running the local programs. Responsibilities include:

  • Local program staffing.
  • Program costs including groceries, supplies and equipment.
  • Volunteer recruiting, training and managing.

Interested In Becoming a Lead Partner?

STEP 1

Find out if there is an existing program in your area.
Share Our Strength partners with only one organization in a city or region to bring Cooking Matters courses to its service area. Click here to find out if there’s a program in your area and if so, reach out to the contact listed to find out how you can collaborate.

STEP 2

Assess your readiness to offer Cooking Matters. Over the past 17 years, Cooking Matters has learned what it takes to run a successful local program. We look for partner organizations that have the following:

A mission aligned with the goal of Cooking Matters to provide the knowledge, skills and confidence to low-income people so that they can provide healthy meals for their families.

  • The organizational capacity to provide the staff and infrastructure necessary to support a Cooking Matters program.
  • The cost to a lead partner agency of running a Cooking Matters program is $70,000 per year at a minimum.
  • Plans to offer Cooking Matters on an ongoing basis over a multi-year period.
  • A distinct service area from existing Cooking Matters programs.
  • Strong connections to local culinary and nutrition communities.
  • New programs are usually started by an interested organization or a committed community leader who serves as a catalyst to involve other key players in the community.

STEP 3

If you meet the criteria above, use our Start a New Program Form to tell us about your organization and how Cooking Matters would enhance your current service to the community. We’ll follow up with additional information.

Already a Cooking Matters program in your area? If there is already a Cooking Matters program in your area, you can explore offering Cooking Matters courses as a community host site.

Each local Cooking Matters program works with social service organizations that provide host sites for individual Cooking Matters courses. These sites are often schools, Head Start programs, housing complexes, health clinics, WIC centers or after-school programs. Contact the lead partner in your area to find out if your organization would be a good fit for Cooking Matters.