Share Your Love of Cooking – Become a Taste It! Volunteer
If you love to talk to people and think that curly kale is a thing of beauty, then please register to volunteer with the Chester County Food Bank’s Taste It! program. You won’t be disappointed. We promise.
Taste It! volunteers do simple cooking demonstrations at our Fresh2You mobile market, or the various partner food pantries and community partners throughout the county. Each week during Fresh2You’s market season (June – November), staff develop a new recipe for the volunteers to prepare, highlighting seasonal fresh, local produce. The sample ingredients are made available for purchase as a bundle for six dollars including a printed recipe (in English and Spanish) to take home.
In the summer months, we might offer up a smoothie with spinach and melon or a crispy green salad with chopped veggies, while the autumn months will feature warming dishes like the famous cauliflower mac’n cheese or a hearty beans and greens soup. Recipes are simple to follow, affordable, and always delicious. Very often the ingredients are combined in new ways that people just hadn’t thought of, incorporating as much healthy produce as possible.
Due to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to host Taste It last season so we are excited for their return at most of our markets this season!
This will be my fifth season wearing an apron, cutting up fruits and veggies at the Taste It table. There are many reasons why I keep coming back. First, I am passionate about the Chester County Food Bank’s mission to connect more people to high quality, affordable produce. Second, I love talking with the customers, many of whom come to market every week and tell us what they’ve cooked and how they’ve introduced their families to something new. And last but not least, the program staff and interns are not just a dedicated crew, but also top-notch people who know how to have fun. You can’t ask for more.
Martha lives in West Chester with her husband, two of her three kids and a crazy little puppy named Lulu. She loves to walk, swim, practice yoga and spend as much time outside with anyone who will join her.
Want to join Martha and our Taste It! team? Complete the Taste It! volunteer application
Want to learn more? Sign up for our newsletter and stay connected. You can also donate food, funds and time to help us achieve our mission. Call (610) 873-6000 to speak to someone about getting involved or request a tour. Thanks to you, we’re growing a healthier community.
The Chester County Food Bank is the central hunger relief organization serving more than 120 food cupboards, meal sites and social service organizations throughout Chester County. We mobilize our community to ensure access to real, healthy food.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Photos were taken prior to CDC mask-wearing guidelines but we wanted to show smiles.