Shildon Alive cooks up a storm

Shildon Alive cooks up a storm.

People have been learning to cook hot and nutritious meals, thanks to a practical grant provided to food and advice project, Shildon Alive.

The eight-week cookery course, made possible thanks to a #PovertyHurts Appeal grant, brought together nine local adults to learn about making meals in slow cookers for themselves and their families.

The cookery course was not only an opportunity for the students to learn new skills, but a chance to gain confidence in their local community and to be with others.

Tracy, Food Coordinator for Shildon Alive and the course lead, said: “Even though the sessions have finished now, the people who took part still come in and ask me what they can make with this or that. They were so enthusiastic during the course, it just completely lifted me up. I cry when I think about it.”

Some of the adults attending the course have faced hardship around poverty, addiction and isolation, so the course was an important step in creating a positive opportunity to push back against these issues.

Fighting food poverty

Shildon Alive has also been supported by EMG Solicitors, through their community fund with the Foundation.  The Northern law firm, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years, wanted to support the project’s commitment to tackling food poverty and holiday hunger. Hundreds of families and individuals have benefited from Shildon Alive’s free meals and other activities, with the group providing a lifeline for those in the community who are facing incredibly difficult times.

In the words of Paula, Shildon Alive’s Project Manager: “Food needs rescuing and people need feeding.” Paula believes that Shildon Alive’s physical presence gives people the chance to look for a helping hand: “It’s important to have the shop because it encourages people to ask for help. They don’t want a handout, they want to be able to contribute something, so we ask them to give what they can.”

At the end of the eight-week course, each student was even able to take home a slow cooker. Now, the students have the knowledge and confidence to rustle-up something tasty and healthy for years to come.