Niagara Advance article published November 3, 2017. Article in full pasted below. Penny Coles, Niagara Advance Cooking classes at the Niagara-on-the-Lake community centre are bringing youth and seniors together to learn about healthy meals. Let’s Cook Together is a continuation of a successful program that took place last year at the community centre, paid for by a provincial grant for seniors. It’s being repeated this year, free of charge thanks to funding by the Healthy Kids Community Challenge, with an inter-generational component. The program offers four weeks of cooking classes, Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. The theme of the current program, which wraps up next week, is Boost your Fruits and Vegetables, which teaches and encourages participants to include produce as part of their daily meal plan, says Nicole McDougall, program facilitator and dietician with the local family health team. A new session begins Nov. 16 and runs until Dec. 7. Dan Maksenuk, community centre co-ordinator, says the class has 18 regulars registered this session, pretty evenly divided but with a few more young people that seniors. “It’s been very successful,” he said. “With the combination of kids and seniors, you can see them learning from each other. The seniors help the young people cut and prepare food, and the kids help the seniors with technology.” The recipes contain lots of whole grains, legumes and lean protein sources for a balanced meal, McDougall says, and any leftovers from the class are taken home by participants, along with copies of the recipes. Support is provided by the family health team and Niagara Region Public Health community food advisors. To register call 905-468-4386 or visit www.notl.org. Click here to access the Niagara Advance article.
