U of S Research Finds Collective Kitchens Strengthen Community Bonds

Posted December 02, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 2, 2004 2004-12-02-PHARM

U of S Research Finds Collective Kitchens Strengthen Community Bonds

Collective kitchens -- where individuals combine resources to cook large
quantities of healthy food for their families - improve budgeting, nutrition
and social support in lower-income or at-risk communities, according to new
University of Saskatchewan research.

In the first large-scale study of these groups undertaken in Canada,
nutrition graduate student Rachel Engler-Stringer looked at the impacts of
collective kitchens on the lives of participants in Montreal, Toronto and
Saskatoon.

"Most participants said their involvement resulted in positive changes in
self-esteem and self-confidence," she said.

Single mothers, seniors and new immigrants especially appreciated sharing
their experiences with others in similar situations, she said. Community
bonds were strengthened by the groups. Members went on to volunteer and
participate in other community activities.

The project was funded by grants from the University of Saskatchewan SSHRC
(Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) President's Fund and the
Saskatoon Community Clinic, as well as various scholarships including a
Danone Institute Doctoral Student Award in Nutrition Education and
Communication. SSHRC also funds the Community-University Institute for
Social Research (CUISR). Engler-Stringer is the recipient of a CUISR
graduate student scholarship and tuition waiver.

Engler-Stringer worked with 21 groups for six weeks to six months, helping
them cook and plan meals. She then interviewed participants, group leaders,
and representatives from community-based organizations that support the
programs.

Lower-income participants were happy to lessen their dependence on food
banks and felt the meals were of a much higher quality than what they could
make with food bank donations. They increased the variety and quantity of
vegetables in their diet and became more aware of the importance of reading
labels and choosing low-fat products. And by contributing their own time and
resources, they avoided the humiliation of relying on charity.

Saskatoon's collective kitchens are overseen by the Collective Kitchen
Partnership, made up of CHEP (the Child Hunger and Education Program), the
Saskatoon Health Region, the Saskatoon Community Clinic and members of the
community. Costs are shared among members of the groups and the Collective
Kitchen Partnership. Community funds help cover the cost of childcare,
transportation, small honorariums for group leaders, and matching food
dollars.

Many participants were already highly skilled at managing their money, but
the collective kitchen allowed them to buy in bulk, an option not always
possible on a tight budget.

Though Engler-Stringer hopes her research will encourage increased
government support of these groups, she stresses the kitchens are not a
solution to poverty.

"As well as having financial resources to contribute, participants must have
some degree of hope for a better future, so the very poor and the very
depressed are still excluded," she says. "Collective kitchens relieve some
of poverty's effects, but only a more equitable distribution of wealth can
truly eliminate poverty."

In Montreal, where government support is highest, there are 400
well-maintained groups and the program has become a thriving social
movement. Lower levels of support in Saskatoon and Toronto have meant fewer
groups are formed and groups are very hard to sustain for more than a year.

"More resources should be dedicated by governments to collective kitchens
and other programs that give people opportunities to learn food skills,
increase social support networks, and also increase access to food resources
in a manner that maintains people's dignity," she says.

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This news release was prepared by a student writer under the U of S SPARK
(Students Promoting Awareness of Research Knowledge) Program.

Additional information is available in the Community University Institute
for Social Research website: http://www.usask.ca/cuisr/research/research.html


For more information, please contact:

Rachel Engler-Stringer
College of Pharmacy and Nutrition
University of Saskatchewan
rre950@mail.usask.ca

Janet Phillips
Collective Kitchen Coordinator
Child Hunger and Education Program
(306) 382-1957
jphillip4@shaw.ca
http://www.chep.org/ck/index.html

Heather Watson
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1425