A limited size class will be available Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Southeast Linn Community Center with the focus on plant-based cooking.
According to Alason Jones, one of the event organizers, the Nourishing Hope Community Kitchen class is open to patients and their caregivers dealing with health issues and diagnoses to focus on plant based cooking as one of those items to help. The class is a pilot program in this community.
The class will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. And while this class is being held in the afternoon, the groups are open to evening classes in the future if there is a need in the community.
The class is a partnership between Southeast Linn Community Center, Plantiful Pantry and University of Iowa Health Care.
Registration deadline for the class is Monday, Nov. 1. People can sign up at this link: https://mailchi.mp/theplantifulpantry.com/nourishing-hope.
She noted that she faced her own health diagnosis in 2019 from a specialist, and was looking for lifestyle recommendations to help, she didn’t really get many answers.
“Even a background in healthcare did little to prepare me for that day,” Jones said. “It was after that diagnosis that I began to embark on my own research journey. It was there that I discovered the vast array of health benefits associated with eating a diverse variety of plant foods, and the impact it can have on disease. Not only do plants provide a multitude of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, but they are also critically important in the overall health of the gut. Ongoing research is looking closely at the microbiome in the gut, and it’s connection to the immune system and to a host of diseases.”
Jones said that discovering Devon Olberding and Mariah Andrews running The Plantiful Pantry in 2020 was an amazing gift.
“Two people who, like myself, had been very personally impacted by the loss of loved ones and through their own personal health challenges,” Jones said. “In talking over our shared goals, we found that we really wanted to start doing something for people who were struggling, and we wanted to start right away. There are many people out there who need help, and just don’t know where to begin. We were those people once, and know how overwhelming that can be. We are excited to share what we have learned through our own knowledge and our own experiences. We are here to be that bridge to get them started.”
The class is free to those who register, and the Southeast Linn Community Center kitchen will be where the cooking takes place for this community service project.
The focus, Jones said, will be creating healthy, delicious and easy to prepare recipes.
“Things like soups, smoothies, and salads, which can be prepared ahead of time and don’t take a great deal of effort,” Jones said. “We understand that people who are facing illness need to keep things as simple and sustainable as possible. No cooking experience is needed to attend our classes, just a willingness to learn.”
Healthy cooking focus of class at SELCC Nov. 10
October 28, 2021
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.