HEALTHY FOOD PROGRAMS
LUSH Valley offers a wide range of multicultural and skills-based cooking classes for community members of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. Many programs are free but where there is a cost associated, a limited number of bursaries are made available to individuals with financial barriers.
To be notified when volunteer opportunities arise, please register as a Volunteer. To browse upcoming Healthy Food programs, visit the Events page of our website.
HEALTHY STUDENT MEAL PROGRAM
In partnership with Indigenous Education, the Healthy Student Meal program serves nutritious meals and snacks to over 1000 students in 20 Comox Valley schools each week.
On Mondays, LUSH Valley volunteers prepare meal kits with recipe cards and whole food ingredients that are then delivered to schools across the Comox Valley by volunteer drivers. Once the kits reach the schools Indigenous Support Workers lead groups of students in preparing a meal for their peers.
LUSH Valley joined the program in 2019 with a goal to incorporate more locally-grown food. We currently source produce from 24 local Farms and purchase meat from the Butcher’s Block exclusively.
The Healthy Student Meal program allows Indigenous Support Workers to spend quality time with students; increases students’ food skills and food literacy; and provides healthy, made-from-scratch meals to students who need them.
COMMUNITY KITCHENS
From canning, fermenting, and sourdough baking to a multitude of multicultural menus, Community Kitchens empower and delight. LUSH Valley works with a variety of Facilitators, each with their own skillset and background, to deliver food programming to the Comox Valley community.
Community Kitchens teach important cooking and food processing skills in a welcoming and engaging environment. Because LUSH Valley sees food as a tool for empowerment, we aim to provide the resources, knowledge and barrier-free opportunities to learn how to cook and prepare healthy food with confidence.
For upcoming Community Kitchens, visit the Events Page of our website.
FOODSAFE LEVEL 1
FoodSafe Level 1 courses are offered on a quarterly basis by LUSH Valley. These allow individuals to gain the safe food-handling skills that are not only beneficial but necessary when cooking for group, organization, or in a professional setting.
For inquiries about upcoming FoodSafe classes, visit the Events Page of our website or email admin@lushvalley.org.
YOUNG COOKS
In our Young Cooks programs, youth aged 6-14 learn culinary and food safety skills in safe and engaging environments. Classes take on a variety of forms that include four-week after-school sessions and week-long summer camps.
Young Cooks allows students to: feel confident and empowered in the kitchen; improve their knowledge on local food systems; develop positive and curious relationships with food; and learn how to read and create recipes in a supported environment. Students eat what they prepare, and are encouraged to bring an appetite and a container for leftovers.
For upcoming Young Cooks programs, visit the Events Page of our website.
