As many of you know Helena Wimpole and Geoff Widmer have recently completed a series of six cooking classes for disadvantaged men at the Salvation Army facility in Camberwell. The classes have been in operation for many years but were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purchase of food is funded from a bequest established by the family of a man who enjoyed great benefit from the classes.
The classes have been a learning experience for Helena and Geoff as well as the clients. Helena has written some very pertinent notes about the activity, including some useful guidelines for those members who would like to be involved in the future. These notes are included in the Rotarian and many thanks to Helena for her thoughtful document.
 Participant, Helena Wimpole, Participant Geoff Widmer, Participant, Geoff Widmer Norman Gale |
Classes are held at Bowen Street, where there is a large commercial style kitchen. Each class is for 6 consecutive weeks on Wednesday from 11.00am-1.00pm.
There is a maximum of 5 men in the class and 2 volunteer teachers. Experience has shown not all participants attend the classes each week and this is mostly due to the nature of their living circumstances and their mental health issues.
Norman Gale chooses the men for the classes. Some regularly attend the Salvation Army for the other services and others are referred from outside community welfare agencies.
The men invariably suffer from disadvantage, due to life circumstances and mental health problems and/or physical disability. Most live in supported accommodation and rooming houses and this can make cooking for themselves somewhat limited. It depends on what facilities are available, eg refrigeration, oven, hotplate etc. Some of the men admit that they eat too much takeaway food, even though they know that it is not good for their health.
History of the Men’s Cooking ClassesThe classes have been in operation for many years. The Covid19 Pandemic caused them to cease for several years, and our Rotary club resumed the first class this year with Geoff Widmer and Helena Wimpole volunteering to run the class.
Some time ago, a family of one of the men who benefitted very much from the cooking classes, gave a bequest to the Salvation Army to support the classes.
How Geoff and Helena Conducted the Classes
The first class we sat around a table and introduced ourselves and we gave out name badges. We gave out information about ourselves, namely that we are Rotarians and volunteers and that we are home cooks and enjoy cooking.
An important discussion on the first day is hygiene and safety in the kitchen, especially washing hands and safety with knives, gas, hot saucepans etc.Prior to the class, Geoff decided on a recipe that was not too difficult and that was nutritious with lots of vegetables. One of us typed up the recipe for one person and made about 8 copies-one for each participant and one for ourselves. We put them in a plastic sheet for the men to take home.
The other person shopped for food for about 8 people. It’s very important to keep the receipt as this is what Norman uses to reimburse us. Norman likes us to phone the day before the class or early in the morning to let him know the cost of the food so he can reimburse us with the correct cash.
We encourage the men to do all aspects of the cooking, such as cutting all the different vegetables, cooking on the stove and checking for when the meal is properly cooked. They appreciate praise when they have done well and we chat while cooking, giving tips. Generally, the men relax and enjoy the process. When the meal is ready, we serve it in the adjacent dining room and the 2 volunteers and Norman eat together with the men. They like the idea of all eating together, as I imagine this is not a frequent occurrence for them.We then clean up the kitchen and several of the men assist us. If they don’t offer, our recommendation is that we ask them. We got into the habit of giving the men some fruit to take home and they appreciate this.
If we over catered with the food, we left it at the Salvation Army, and it would be used for their other programs.
Helena Wimpole