Building Community, One Meal at a Time
When a group of mothers recently gathered in the kitchen at Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter, located in Rocky Mountain House, they came to learn about meal planning and budgeting. What they found was something more, including life skills, growing confidence, and a community of support and understanding.
The Collective Kitchen – Healing Through Food program, funded by the Community Foundation’s Women and Girls Fund, was built on the idea that there is a profound connection between nourishment and well-being. Over 14 weeks, women from the second-stage shelter and their children rotated through menu planning, shopping, and cooking.
Beyond the Recipe
The program alternated between planning weeks, which included meal planning, cost calculation, nutrition reviews, and cooking weeks, when the group shopped and prepared meals together. A dietician and financial literacy worker played a vital role in the program by providing guidance on nutrition and budgeting.
One participant’s reaction to learning how to interpret nutrition labels was impactful. “Who knew that you can actually use this information,” she said. Small revelations like this, paired with a collective experience, can often create meaningful change.
Beyond the hands-on tasks, the kitchen became a place where women could share their stories while their hands stayed busy chopping vegetables and stirring pots. The practical skills of reading nutrition labels, stretching grocery budgets, and handling food safely created the structure for genuine connection. The group was able to share with one another, and participants were able to bring some of their own expertise to share with the group. One of the participants even offered to share her Moroccan recipes, so food was purchased and the group was able come together to share a Moroccan meal.
“Working together as moms… as women… as survivors, provided opportunities to learn from each other, support each other, and share in each others challenges and accomplishments,” says Cindy Easton, Executive Director of Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter.
Strategic Investment
The Community Foundation’s decision to fund this program through the Women and Girls Fund demonstrates an understanding that effective support addresses multiple needs simultaneously. The Collective Kitchen combined basic skill-building with economic education and health literacy, meeting families where they were and providing stepping stones into a bright future.
“The Collective Kitchen is providing families the opportunity to build a social network while learning about nutrition, budgeting, and food safety,” says Easton. “This program is not only building skills for both mom and children; it is also developing friendships that could last a lifetime.”
The program’s impact extends beyond its 14-week timeline. The mothers now meet monthly on their own, bringing ingredients from their pantries to cook and share meals together. This project has created connections that are growing into a self-sustaining community, which may be the clearest measure of true impact.
