Making pancakes (not from a mix!) with Jaelene
In case you missed my Facebook postings last week (how could that be possible?), here’s what I was up to: I spent the week teaching about cooking, healthy food alternatives, budgeting, and more, for students at The Care Center in Holyoke. We did this at Amherst College, as a part of Reader to Reader’s mentoring program. It’s my second year doing it. And I can’t wait for next year.
The young women at The Care Center are either mothers, or are pregnant. All of them had dropped out of school, and are now getting their GEDs or high school diplomas. And even better, over 75% of them will go on to two and four year colleges. It’s an impressive school, with impressive, motivated students.
Of the zillions of thoughts and memories that stand out from last week, three of them have stayed with me:
- A guy who was not involved with The Care Center or Reader to Reader, asked why I was doing this. After all, he said, eating healthy costs a lot, and these girls don’t have much money. His implication was that a healthy diet meant only buying organic foods from Whole Foods. I completely disagreed. I believe getting more fruits and vegetables into a diet is crucial, even of they aren’t organic. And roasting a chicken, even if it isn’t (wasn’t?) a free-ranger, organic, and fluent in two languages, is still healthier than a ¼ pounder, with or without cheese. In other words, there’s more than just one way to improve your diet. And it doesn’t have to break the bank, either. The important thing is to make the changes where you can.
- One of the students, Jaelene, said at the end of the week that she usually eats lots of food from McDonald’s. And that she usually feels gross, and then hungry. And after eating my/our healthy food all week, she didn’t feel gross, and wasn’t hungry for the whole day. I just LOVED hearing that. One reason is because that tied the beginning of the week to the end of the week. I started by showing them a ¼ pounder with cheese, large fries, and a drink. $6.73, with tax. During our week, they ate twice per day. Fresh fruit. Eggs. Roasted chickens. Sloppy Joes. Shrimp and chicken Alfredo (healthy version!). Fresh lemonade every day. And more. The cost, per person per day, was $6.64. All of that food, for 9¢ LESS than a meal at McDonald’s that left her feeling gross and hungry. It speaks for itself.
- After being on the campus at Amherst College for the week, more than a few of the girls were saying that they could picture themselves in college. And they’d never felt that way before. That left me uncharacteristically speechless.
- Okay. I lied. I have a fourth thought. I wish everyone could feel as thrilled as I’m feeling. It’s just amazing.
