There is a proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

And that’s what the United Churches of Lycoming County (UCLC) is doing by partnering with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, offering cooking classes for those who utilize food pantries to supplement their food purchases.

Oftentimes there are foods at local pantries that someone might not know how to prepare. Or there might not just be a clear idea about what foods are healthy and what foods are not so nutritious.

Tammey Edkin, director of UCLC explained that the impetus for starting the cooking classes came when workers at the group’s food pantry noticed that people were opting for processed food instead of using the offered ingredients, which were healthier choices, and making things from scratch.

“What we see is we see a lot of our neighbors coming in and choosing processed food over a whole chicken. For instance, they would get chicken nuggets, and you can feed your family healthier and for more meals with a whole chicken, as compared to something that’s just like a one meal and done,” she said.

“How do we fix that, though? So we have to give them the skills to be able to learn how to cook on a budget with food. I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother that taught me how to cook. There are so many people who do not know, just don’t have the skills or the kitchen appliances,” she said.

As part of that day’s class, participants were sent home with all the ingredients to duplicate what they had made, recipes, some kitchen utensils and a small food processor like they used to prepare the foods.

“This now will allow them to feed their family healthier, for more meals, less money. It’s just so much better than just handing them a bag of food and saying, here you go,” she added.

Kelsey Hudak, a nutrition educator at the Food Bank, conducted the class which offers a time of instruction on what are the best food choices to maintain a healthy diet and how to get the best value for your food dollar when shopping for those foods.

With food prices going up for whatever reason, shopping can be a challenge and more people are reaching out to food pantries to stretch their food budgets. The shopping tips that Hudak shared with the group are definitely timely. Factor in the nutritional facts that she offers about what are the healthiest choices to make on limited budgets and it’s definitely preparing them for a lifetime.

Following the instruction time, then it’s a move to the preparation area. The UCLC Food Pantry receives their supplies from the Food Bank, so that all of the ingredients at the cooking class are available at the pantry.

“Typically we usually have fresh fruits and vegetables and frozen fruit and vegetables. We have a lot of ground chicken or whole chicken breasts. The recipe is actually adaptable for either. Yogurt, we usually have available, and flour. So all of these things, we would normally have in inventory,” Hudak said.

Although this was the first class for the UCLC group, Hudak has held classes at other food pantries and the feedback has been great, she said.

“I had a woman tell me that she lost 20 pounds thanks to coming to my classes. But people are enjoying the recipes, especially for items that seem hard to make. They’re actually really quick and easy, but they didn’t know that until someone actually prepared it for them,” Hudak said.

For Arianna Gaul who was at the class with her little daughter, it was a chance to expand her cooking abilities-to try new things.

“I just wanted some more experience on cooking…like how to prepare stuff,” Gaul said.

She and Symphony Fisher were making flat bread, something she said she had never made before.

Ally Burke and her mom, Lisa Landerholm, were there with Burke’s 18-month-old daughter Willow. Landerholm said that all three of them, plus her mother live in her household.

She shared that she is on a fixed income and with the cost of food rising, she has been getting some of her groceries from one of the food pantries in the area. She took notes so that she could remember everything Hudak had said.

Plus she and her daughter were both there to expand their repertoire of recipes.

“I wanted her to get some different ideas on things because she does a good amount of cooking them,” she said of her daughter.

“She’s got her basics and I have my basics. My mother actually said, can we mix up a little bit-think about something different,” she added.

On the menu for this first class was chicken burgers, flat bread, bean dip with crudites, and yoghurt ice cream. Everything looked delicious. When the cooks had completed the meal, everyone sat down to share their creations.

The cooking classes are going to be offered quarterly and are usually tailored to people who utilize the food pantry. There is no charge to participate. The next one will be Aug. 12 and is in the evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at New Covenant United Church of Christ, 202 East Third St. For more information, contact UCLC at: 570-322-1110.