A COOKING program run by Mallee Family Care is teaching young locals with disabilities valuable food-handling skills and instilling healthy eating habits.
For the past eight weeks 10 Mallee Family Care (MFC) clients have participated in FoodMate — a cooking program that aims to create food independence.
It’s the first time the program has been run in Swan Hill, after Swan Hill District Health health promotions officer Chanel Relf got SecondBite — the company that runs FoodMate — to run a training session in Swan Hill.
Swan Hill Coles supplies a bulk of the fresh food and vegetables free of charge and the cooking is done at Swan Hill Specialist School kitchen.
“It’s about healthy eating, cooking skills and less wastage,” MFC disability service worker James Walker said.
MFC disability service worker Corinne Barr said the program had fostered a new love for working with food among the participants.
“Just their enthusiasm – they haven’t been overly excited to do cooking before,” she said.
“It’s social and productive. They love walking in together and creating something.”
Fellow worker Taferni Tuitupou agreed.
“Eating healthy is the best part of it. And learning about portion size,” she said.
Any organisations interested in participanting in FoodMate can contact the SHDH health promotions department on 5033 9337.
