Fredericton Food Bank cooking class teaches clients how to get creative with donations

A helping hand from the food bank assists many to ensure a hot meal is on the table each night.

Preparing that food can be a struggle and that inspired the Fredericton Food Bank to offer free cooking classes. The goal is to teach healthy preparation and preservation of donated food.

“It’s very important to give people food when they are in need but it’s also important to teach people about that food and how to prepare it in a way that tastes good and that is low cost,” said Alex Boyd, the executive director of the Fredericton Food Bank.

READ MORE: New Brunswick’s food bank usage numbers climb in 2018

Every Thursday at noon, chef Yves Dechain teaches a free cooking class at the Greener Village food bank in the community kitchen.

The goal of the class is to learn how to cook cheaply.

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The food for the classes comes from donations to the food bank. The open kitchen demonstration teaches clients how to get creative

“Instead of just grabbing that can of beans and opening it up, they get ideas on how to transfer those beans into something more interesting,” said Dechain.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Instead of just grabbing that can of beans and opening it up, they get ideas on how to transfer those beans into something more interesting," said Dechain.

Food insecurity is a reality many face in the province, according to the New Brunswick Association of Food Banks Inc.

The organization says 18,919 people used food banks in 2017, with children make up 31 per cent of food bank users.

The cooking classes are also open to those making donations. You can swap nonperishable food items for new recipes.

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2:02 N.B. town creates a very East Coast Christmas tree in support of local food bank

Brenda Charters loves to cook for her family and attends the bartered classes. She took the five-week cooking class and learned to skip the salt and use seasonings

“There were a lot of recipes that we did here and I took some home,  The next night I made a couple and the kids loved them, thought they were fabulous. ‘Where’d you learn to do that mom?'” said Charters.

Dechain hosting the collective kitchen on the 4th Thursday of each month and you can take home food for your family.