Cooking Matters

It takes more than food to fight hunger.

We work with leading nonprofit organizations to provide access to food and to facts about food choices so that it is easier to eat nutritiously, live balanced lifestyles and succeed in school and life.

To support nutrition education for those in need, we are proud to partner with Share Our Strength as the national sponsor of Cooking Matters™, which teaches families at risk of hunger how to prepare healthy and affordable meals. The program’s hands-on courses are led by expert culinary and nutrition volunteers who teach how to select tasty and low-cost ingredients, stretch them across multiple meals, and use healthy cooking techniques that help participants understand how to make healthier choices that provide the best nourishment possible to their families

Cooking Matters: How It Works

Cooking Matters is designed to help low-income families make the most of their food budgets, offering programs for adults and kids.

Help families with limited resources learn how to make healthy meals at home using a wide variety of foods that are commonly available in stores and from emergency food providers, such as food banks and supporting agencies.
Promote making the healthiest food choices possible – whether it is fresh, frozen or canned – even with limited resources.
Teach participants lifelong cooking skills, practical nutrition information and food budgeting strategies. In the adult classes, participants go the grocery store and learn how to extend $10 in groceries to feed their families.
Include information on available federal, state and local assistance programs.

Impact of Partnership

Thanks to the funding provided by the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Cooking Matters has more than doubled its reach.

Highlights from the Cooking Matters program in 2009 included:

69 percent of adults graduating from Cooking Matters said they were eating more fruits and vegetables than they ate before taking the course
87 percent of adult graduates said their cooking skills had improved, making it easier for them to make healthy meals for their families at home
96 percent of kids who took a Cooking Matters course with their parents said they enjoyed cooking with their parents, which is an important part of maintaining healthy habits at home

Learn more about Cooking Matters.

Hunger by the Numbers

One in five children is struggling with hunger in America. In some U.S. counties though, that number is as high as one in two Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap illustrates the reality of hunger in communities nationwide.

Learn about child hunger >

No Kid Hungry

We believe no child in America should go hungry. Take the No Kid Hungry Pledge today and add your voice to the community of people passionate about ending childhood hunger in America.

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Apply for a Grant

Want to apply for a grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation? Learn about the application process and the criteria the ConAgra Foods Foundation uses to evaluate grant applications here.

Learn more about our grants >