Everyone wants to give back to their community — including kids, which is one of the reasons a local cooking school for kids launched a unique philanthropic program that puts the power of giving into the hands of their students. We interviewed Felicity Curin, Founder, President, and COO of Little Kitchen Academy, about their brand new How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy philanthropic program, which incorporates philanthropy into their Montessori-inspired curriculum to empower their students to make the world a better place.
What is the How Can I Help?
How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy is a first-of-its-kind philanthropic program that puts the power of giving into the hands of our students. Every class, students will learn about our charitable partners, be given the chance to ask ‘how can I help,’ feel empowered to make a choice about what matters most to them, and understand that they can make the world a better place. We will donate $1 on behalf of every student to the charity they choose.
Why did you decide to implement this program?
Adding the How Can I Help program was such an obvious decision for us when we sat back and really looked at our mission. Why wouldn’t we include sharing an opportunity to learn about giving? Our students are constantly working on essential life skills and learning how to recognize when someone needs help and feeling confident enough to help someone in need is most definitely an essential skill.
Our students are thoughtful, sensitive and hungry (pun intended!) to learn. They want to make a difference. They want to make a change.
We are constantly amazed at the joy expressed when our students share what they have made with their family. We love hearing stories from parents illustrating their children practicing new skills learned, such as sweeping up a mess or setting the table. This feedback inspired us to take our curriculum one step further. Let’s give our students an opportunity to make a difference. And make a difference that is important to them.
Who are the charities involved? And why did you select them?
We really wanted to pick charities that would resonate with our students and give them the chance to help important causes doing great work. Through this program, our students at our Canadian locations will learn about Chefs for Humanity, focusing on disaster relief around the world, The Global FoodBanking Network, helping to feed those who are food insecure worldwide, and Kids Help Phone, supporting kids with a great resource to reach out and ask for help when they need it. All three are fantastic organizations and we’re delighted to share what each of them do with our students as they make their decision about what matters most to them right now.
Why is giving back important to LKA?
Every day we feel the support from our community. Parents entrusting their greatest treasures to us on a weekly basis is not taken for granted. We are so grateful. Our fridge is full. The power is on. We have friends we can talk to. That’s why giving back is so important to us. We see the impact empowering and encouraging our students to make responsible eating choices is having, and we know this work can be applied to making our community better.
We are raising a generation that can show their power by the choices that they make, where they put their resources, how they spend their money. This generation in front of us has the power to change the world!
What do you hope kids will get out of being involved with How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy?
We believe that empowering our students through How Can I Help, we will see incredible compassion and awareness emerge. Our students are thoughtful, sensitive and hungry (pun intended!) to learn. They want to make a difference. They want to make a change. We are raising a generation that can show their power by the choices that they make, where they put their resources, how they spend their money. This generation in front of us has the power to change the world!
>> How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy
This post is sponsored by Little Kitchen Academy
Encouraging children and teenagers to take a mindful and sustainable approach to food preparation is the driving force behind Little Kitchen Academy. We are changing lives from scratch and people are taking notice! LittleKitchenAcademy.com
