Open Kitchen Cooking Class

Jon says, there is another less obvious advantage to the Open Kitchen classes: they encourage community. “It’s not just about giving students recipes. We’re coming together in the same room and we’re cooking and eating together. It’s a lot about interacting with other students and meeting new people you wouldn’t necessarily meet otherwise. I think there’s something really special about that.”

Building on the success of Share Meals and Open Kitchen, Jon has embarked on a new initiative called the Share Meals Trailblazers Fellowship. “We’re partnering with several organizations, most notably the Clinton Global Initiative University, to host a yearlong fellowship for first- and second-year undergraduate students,” says Jon. “Once five to eight undergrads are chosen and are trained to present their ideas professionally, develop innovative ideas on food security, and empower their peers to become leaders in the fight against hunger, they will tour the country and speak at conferences, universities, and public schools about the need to improve food security at home and around the world.”

Through Trailblazers, fellows will have the chance to bolster a litany of practical skills, including design thinking, research methodology, and public speaking. With these strengthened abilities, they’ll be primed to assume roles as effective leaders who push for and execute positive change in the social impact areas they care about most. Previous fellows have spoken at Universities Fighting World Hunger, #RealCollege Convening, and the Hunger Action Series.