Senator Chris Coons and some Delaware kids whip up something healthy

Several young “chefs” along with Senator Chris Coons and his daughter Maggie got an important lesson in the kitchen on Monday thanks to the Food Bank of Delaware.

 

To make sure children have a chance at a healthy lifestyle, the Food Bank of Delaware’s C.H.E.F. (Cooking, Healthy, Easy Foods) program educates young people on what to eat and how to create nutritious meals. In fact, that’s what brought Senator Coons, his daughter Maggie and ten students from Elbert Palmer Elementary School together.

The lesson Monday was on how important fruits are to every diet and Community Nutrition Educator Kyle Takayma from the Food Bank of Delaware taught the lesson.

“Fruits help kids learn and grow,” he explained to students. “It’s important to eat at least one-and-a-half cups of fruit each day. Eating healthy not only tastes good, but is fun.”

Dressed in chefs’ hats and aprons, the children blended fruit juice, yogurt, fresh blueberries and strawberries to create a homemade fruit smoothie, of course taking their time while using a set of measuring cups and other utensils.

“The Food Bank of Delaware’s Kid C.H.E.F. nutrition program gives children the tools to make healthy choices when it comes to meals and snacks,” Coons said. “My daughter and I really enjoyed working with the kids, and we even learned a few new recipes that we’re looking forward to trying out at home.”

Kid C.H.E.F., a skills-building program, also encourages child-centered discussions in addition to hands-on activities and informative packets for parents.