The Community Cooks box program is a collaboration with M health, Fairview, the East Side Table, Appetite for Change, the Good Acre, as well as several other local farmers and healthy foods vendors in the Twin Cities area. The program runs between June and December of each year and supplies nearly 1,000 boxes of healthy, and culturally specific foods, to underrepresented and underserved communities every week.

The ingredients and the recipes for the food in the boxes change each week and serve a total of 12 meals per box. In addition to sourcing all food ingredients from local vendors and farmers, the program employs a livable wage to 14 to 24 year old youth who pack and deliver the boxes every week as part of a workforce development program.

Participants and family service from the program identified by fellow program, partners and nonprofit food shelves located in the Twin Cities. Strategic relationships with cultural brokers in traditionally diss invested communities are utilized to prioritize recipients. The average cost of each box is between $26-$30 each. All boxes are packed and shipped out of the Wellness Hub at Saint Joes. The employee youth packing the boxes earn between $14-$16 an hour, as well as participate in weekly, soft skill and developmental professional training.

This is a dual track program where the program addresses hunger gaps in our community. Our access to fresh and nutritious foods are a barrier to self-sufficiency. Moreover, it removes a barrier of cost associated with acquiring culturally specific meals for families. The recipes located in the boxes allow for families to learn how to cook And prepare foods in their own home.

Moreover, the workforce development program for the youth workers allows for underserved and underemployed youth to learn and earn a livable wage, while acquiring important credentials and licenses in a multitude of sectors.