There was a lot to see at Blogworld Expo last week, and a ton of great people to meet and catch up with. A good social conference! One of my favorite people from the event was Heather Solos and one reason was because she shared with me the Cooking with the Troops project she’s involved with.
Here’s the problem: if you’re in the military, you’re really not getting the best possible food, the best nutrition or the tastiest meals. Yet there you are, sometimes on the front lines, sometimes eating at a mess hall. We can do better. The problem gets worse when people come home too, where they not only have the challenge of readjusting to civilian life, but also have to figure out how to cook for themselves and, often, children too. It’s a lot to deal with.
That’s where the 501(c)3 non-profit Cooking with the Troops comes in. They have four primary channels to accomplish their mission of improving food, diet and nutrition for servicemen and women:
They sponsor Food Events that provide a culinary change of pace to help morale, and remind the troops that their service and sacrifice are appreciated, Culinary Career Transition to help those interested in culinary careers after their military service, Homefront Support, which focuses on teaching people how to make good food fast rather than fast food through events that cover food safety basics, cooking basics, nutrition, and more. Finally, the organization also has Frontline Support to get the best possible culinary and nutritional care packages to the troops, and it possible for those of us at home to learn about life and nutrition on the front.
This is the kind of non-profit I really like. Small, simple, easy to explain and important. Yes we need to save the whales and help starving children in Africa, save the forests and so on, but sometimes a smaller, narrower focus (like Ubuntu Now that I co-founded) can really help a charity do good work and help us with a philanthropic bent — however small — really feel like we’ve made a difference to a solvable problem, and brightened someone’s day.
I’m a fan of Cooking with the Troops. You should be too.
Learn more: Cooking with the Troops
I like the direction of your new branding. I can see that you are still Super Dad to your kids and as a Great Grandpa I can appreciate the parenting thing anew. I will be watching and learning.
The cooking with the troops is a wonderful and doable charity. If there is one thing I see is that, as a nation,we have not kept our promises to our troops. I like this one because it deals with real world stuff, ie. skills, nutrition and even careers. We need to as much for our returning troops as we can. Even though I am a vet I can’t imagine how much these present day troops have to deal with.
Good stuff. Thanks