non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
that recruits culinary students and professionals to volunteer their professional skills on trips to communities in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
History
The organization was founded by Christine Carroll following a volunteer trip to
after Hurricane Katrina. Carroll and other experienced culinary professionals were helping to repaint a local school when she conceived the idea of a food-focused volunteer organization. Upon returning home she launched CulinaryCorps to enable cooks to volunteer their professional skills to assist communities in need.
Carroll coined the term "culanthropy" (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsculinary" and " philanthropy") to describe the organization's brand of food-focused volunteerism.
Function
The organization recruits culinary students and professionals in the culinary industry to volunteer on week-long trips to communities in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The objective of CulinaryCorps is to make a lasting impact on the community served, while simultaneously inspiring its volunteers to become lifelong champions of positive social change through food and cooking. CulinaryCorps members have volunteered on trips to
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
; the
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...
; and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
.
Impact
In its first sixteen months, the organization launched five volunteer trips during which, more than 3,500 meals were prepared by 76 volunteer cooks from across the United States. Since then, the organization has launched additional trips to New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Puerto Rico. Each volunteer trip lasts about a week.
During each volunteer trip, the organization's team partners with a variety of local organizations to perform food-related projects for the local community's benefit. For example, in the New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast regions, CulinaryCorps has partnered with many local and nonprofit organizations, including:
* Habitat for Humanity, where CulinaryCorps chefs cooked for hundreds of resident Habitat volunteers rebuilding homes following Hurricane Katrina;
* The
Edible Schoolyard
The Edible Schoolyard (ESY) is a garden and kitchen program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, a public middle school in Berkeley, California. The Edible Schoolyard was established in 1995 by chef and author Alice Waters and is supporte ...
at the Samuel J. Green Charter School in New Orleans, where CulinaryCorps volunteers instructed students on food, cooking, and nutrition;
* Café Reconcile in New Orleans, where CulinaryCorps volunteers cooked meals and performed career mentoring with culinary students;
* Real Food Gulf Coast, which, together with CulinaryCorps, designed and launched an after-school cooking club curriculum for children in the
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 U.S. Census ...
School District; and
* Liberty's Kitchen, a culinary training and job placement program for at-risk teens in New Orleans, where CulinaryCorps volunteers cooked for the opening gala celebration.