Cooking with a Cause

“Thank you so much for the wonderful Fare to Share food donation from your recent Northeast meeting. Your willingness and initiative to team build around a charitable cause is a testament to your organization. I hope you came away with some more knowledge of the Food Bank, our mission, and the challenges we face in these trying times.

The end result of your donation was approximately 200 pounds of food which provided over 150 meals, which went to use immediately. The food safety and handling was a key issue due to the fact that many of our clients have compromised immune systems.”

—Paul M. Colligan, Director of Programs, The Greater Boston Food Bank

Cooking with a Cause is an exhilarating teambonding experience that ends in a meaningful and worthwhile donation of food to people in need. The program includes food prepared and consumed by the participants during the event and a three-part donation to area food banks.

To help your group better comprehend the issues of hunger and homelessness in the US, the program begins with a brief quiz on the subject. Participants will work in teams to answer questions which the facilitators will review and then discuss as a group.

Cooking with a Cause has three components, with competitions and winners from each!

The Cooking Competition includes appetizers consumed by participants, as well as the hot food preparation that will be donated to a local soup kitchen. Teams will compete to see who prepares the “best” dish in the eyes of our culinary judges.

The Great PB & J Challenge involves teams working together to make and package up to 20 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches per team. After being bagged with other nutritional snacks, they will be ready to be distributed at a local soup kitchen or street food distribution program. Part of the challenge is that the participants will be making their own peanut butter from scratch!

Food Bag Donation has participants completing three challenges to earn the supplies needed to assemble a bag of household food items for area families. Teams will need to earn a reusable tote bag to put the food in, materials to decorate the bag, and the food to place in the bag. The teams will also write a personal letter that will accompany the food bag, which is given to a local family in need.

When possible, the staff from the benefiting organization will be on hand to receive the donations and convey thanks and appreciation from the organization. What a great way to build your team – and give back to the community!

Outcomes:

• Teambuilding
• A charitable donation of food
• Education on hunger and the homeless in America
• A delicious meal!
• Improve team morale
• Good feelings that come from giving to someone in need

Features: Combines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with Culinary Team Building to benefit all.

Ideal Usage:

• Building team morale
• Annual meetings
• Moving into new space

Group Size: 12 – 300

Time: 3 hours

Space: We estimate 30sq ft per team. Our approach allows us to come to your favorite hotel, conference center, winery or auditorium, allowing for easy planning.