One of the several ways the Hunger-Free Pierce County Collaborative actively takes initiative to end hunger in our region is through The Slow Cooker Project.
In total, United Way of Pierce County has invested $9,500 for 525 slow cookers. We distributed over 500 of them to several different food programs around the county. The project is special in that it teaches how to prepare nutritious meals from scratch and provides families with all of the resources they need to do so.
One of the programs is the Peninsula Community Foundation's Food Backpacks 4 Kids program. The program is giving out crock-pots to families in need around the Key Peninsula where limited access to healthy food exists.
To get this program on its feet, United Way of Pierce County provided the FB4K program with $5,500 to purchase 275 slow cookers.
This year, FB4K’s goal is to distribute 75 of the slow cookers to families in need and provide ingredients to make 1 recipe (serving about 8 meals total) per month. This is about 600 hot meals per month, and almost 5,000 hot meals over the course of the school year.
Next year, FB4K’s goal is to distribute the rest of the 200 slow cookers and provide ingredients to make 4 recipes (serving 8 meals each) per month.
As time goes on, these crock-pots will provide their owners with the ability to cook healthy food for their families with dignity for as long as they last, contributing to each family’s increased independence and ability to provide for themselves. In two years, these distributed crock-pots will provide over 150,000 meals to 1,575 residents in Pierce County.
After receiving a slow cooker for their family, one grateful recipient explained--they plan on cooking their Christmas meal in their new slow cooker!
Here are some tasty and affordable recipes for you and your family too!
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