Wellness in the Schools (WITS) is a non-profit, community-based organization that works to improve the environment, nutrition and fitness in NYC public schools.
Their programs include Cook for Kids, Green for Kids and Coach for Kids, all programs designed to make schools more healthful. ICE is proud to have several alumni working in the program, including Laurielle Clark (Culinary, ’02), Shani Porter (Culinary, ’07), Raquel Rivera-Pablo (Culinary, ’08) and Morgan Rogers (Culinary, ’10).
These four ICE grads are helping to bring health into local classrooms. Inspired by Teach for America, the Cook food Kids program sends culinary school graduates into public school kitchens to prepare fresh meals from scratch and to educate the children and their families about the importance of eating whole, unprocessed food. The cooks all work with a partner restaurant, including the famed Chef Bill Telepan, who also happens to sit on ICE’s Advisory Board. The in-resident cooks work alongside cafeteria workers to prepare meals and also conduct seasonal cooking classes and demonstrations for children, parents and teachers.
To learn more about their program, see their website, or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.
