Saskatchewan

Regina Food Bank teaching cooking and budgeting classes

A three year partnership was announced between the Regina Food Bank and the Conexus Credit Union. The two organizations will begin offering classes on personal finance, minimizing food costs, and nutritional cooking.

As food prices rise, budgeting classes could not come at a better time

Cooking classes will teach participants how to eat healthy on a budget. (Tory Gillis/CBC)

The Regina Food Bank will host workshops on nutritional cooking and personal finance management. It's a three year commitment sponsored by the Conexus Credit Union. 

We're interested in it and so passionate about it because it's very basic life skills.- Eric Dillon, CEO Conexus Credit Union

The CEO of the Conexus Credit Union, Eric Dillon was at the announcement where he gave the Regina Food Bank a $50,000 cheque for the program.

"We've never seen a program like this before. We've been great partners with the Food Bank for well over 10 years. But this program for us, we're interested in it and so passionate about it because it's very basic life skills," Dillon said. 

He said these classes are especially important given the rising cost of Food in Canada.  

Shelagh Molloy has been using the Food Bank for many years to help make ends meet and has already taken a few of the classes being offered.

"We're learning how to de-bone chicken. We are learning how to make better use of the foods that we do have, whether we get them through the Food Bank or whether we purchase them at the grocery store. And it really is about how to make our dollar stretch," said Molloy.

Schoolhaus Culinary Arts will facilitate the cooking program. It includes grocery shopping trips, group meal preparation and the food safe course level 1. 

The Conexus Credit Union will be giving the Food Bank an annual amount of $50,000 to maintain these classes.