C.H.E.F.s (Cheap, Healthy, Eco-friendly Food) for Schools is a diverse corps of volunteers drawn from New York universities, including the acclaimed departments of NYU’s Food Studies, Nutrition, Business, Law, Social Work, and Nursing schools, as well as Columbia’s Teacher’s College. Together, we are dedicated to making a measurable difference in the lives of New York City children. Our primary mission is to empower NYC residents to improve their health and environment by offering free and direct access to nutrition education, meal preparation, and wellness services.
Nutrition and health in an environmentally sustainable context are of critical importance. The growing obesity epidemic in our country disproportionately impacts low-income families, like those in the communities CHEFs and our partner organizations target. A dearth of education and understanding about nutrition has contributed to growing numbers of serious chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and various cancers, which are largely preventable with good diet and healthy living.
To initiate a community-wide effort against this crisis, CHEFs intends to unite the currently stratified resources of the wellness community under an umbrella of qualified manpower, renowned educational experts, and well-established institutions of change and prosperity. Currently, we offer bi-monthly events to inform and educate local residents about meal preparation, nutrition, environmentally conscious practices, and community outreach and investment. We enhance these services by offering volunteer opportunities in local wellness organizations, which fill the gaps in service and ultimately enact a lasting and positive change in the health of our target communities.
One of CHEFs’ primary goals is to enrich the lives of our volunteers by offering nutrition education facilitated by the nationally acclaimed Food Bank for NYC. Trained volunteers, through a CHEFs’ partnership with CookShop, (a proven effective, hands-on nutrition education curriculum offered in schools where sixty percent of the student population rely on state subsidized meals), are a positive presence in the lives of over 11,000 children in all five boroughs of New York City.
Recently, we received a call to action: an executive request for responsibility and unity among generations. This is what CHEFs strives to achieve by enabling every resident of NYC to take action—replenish the values that have molded communities in the past, and ensure a healthier, flourishing future for all those who choose to invest in their fellow New Yorker. We stand as an umbrella for those who choose to care. Therefore, we ask that you join us in our resolve to enact change by offering the network NYC residents need to contribute, educate, and revitalize the New York City of tomorrow.
We hope that you will support us in our efforts to make a tangible improvement in the lives of children and create a healthier foundation for our city’s future. Please offer your support through volunteering, attending our community events, and/or providing a donation.
Thank you,
CHEFs for Schools, Inc.
chefsforschools@gmail.com
