In today’s fast-paced world, finding ways to connect with others and foster a sense of community has become increasingly important. One great way to achieve this is by building a group cooking community. By bringing people together through the joy of cooking and sharing meals, we can create lasting bonds and unforgettable experiences.
Define Your Vision
Determine the purpose and goals of your group. This will help especially as you seek to attract like-minded individuals.
- Promote healthy eating
- Fun social gathering
- Cultural exchange
- Dietary needs
- Get dinners on the table
Find Your Core Members
Every successful community starts with a core group of passionate individuals. Seek out people who share your enthusiasm for cooking and the driving vision behind your group. Look up local cooking classes, or online platforms for potential members. Consider friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, groups from the gym (think diet or paleo meal plans!), parent or play groups. The possibilities are truly endless! (Planning Worksheet)(Invitation)
Set A Regular Schedule
Consistency is good! When you’re building a cooking community you need to establish consistency. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, figure out what works best for your group and their needs. Set a schedule and stick to it. This will help members plan accordingly. Consider rotating hosting responsibilities to distribute the workload and encourage participation. (Planning Worksheet)
The Benefits of Group Freezer Cooking
- Variety – Try out lots of new ingredients and dishes, while keeping shopping and cooking simple.
- Simplicity – Make only 1 or 2 recipes instead of the 12 to 15 called for on a regular OAMC Day.
- Flexibility – Spread cooking time out as needed (i.e. cook a few meals each day).
- Community – Build existing relationships or develop NEW relationships.
- Service – Invite someone new, help each other out during difficult seasons (sickness, new baby, etc.), or make extra meals for someone in need.
Resources for Starting a Group
- Getting Started including a Planning Worksheet, Invitation, and Member Survey.
- Cost Tracking including a worksheet that calculates cost per meal and how much each member is owed or owes to the group after their purchases.
- FAQs including staff videos and interviews with group swappers.
A Word On Community
YOU are all part of our community. We want to get to know you better and we want you to get to know each other better! If you have participated in group swaps, please share your experience with us in the comments below, on our Facebook or TikTok . Show us your pictures on Instagram. If you are just getting started with group swap, we welcome comments, questions and suggestions for new resources. How can we better serve you?
7 Comments
Join the discussionWe have been doing this at our church as a meal ministry since last year, we get to fellowship while cooking, learn new recipes and have some great meals in our freezer for those times when a family needs them. We have been able to help people during death of a loved one,a family whose mom is sick and many others. This has been so awesome for us! I hope to be able to share it with many other churches as a great ministry opportunity.
What a great blessing your cooking group is to those on the receiving end! And yes such a great ministry option as well. Thanks for sharing with us! As we dive deeper in this series would you be interested in sharing some of your knowledge with us for future posts?
This sounds wonderful! I have been thinking about starting a geezer meal club for a while but just didn’t know how to begin. I am so looking forward to more information!!!! Thank you so much!!!
***freezer
I think a ‘geezer’ meal club would be a good idea too! Senior citizens often have a difficult time cooking for just one or two, resulting in leftovers being thrown away, or not eating balanced meals because it’s too much effort. Getting together to cook and then split up meals into freezable portions would be great.
This is a wonderful idea. I have recently moved to a new community and am slowly making some new friends through my son’s preschool. This sounds like a good solution for me and the other ‘moms with small children.’ Monthly cooking can be hard when I’m trying to do it on my own (even when the husband tries to watch the boys), but perhaps it will be easier with a group of us and give me a chance to get to know some of my new friends a little better. Any suggestions on those with different needs than mine? My family is gluten/dairy free.
Great idea Christie! Group cooking/Swap are a great way to meet friends, break the ice, and help stock your freezer as well! Stay tuned to more in our series in the upcoming weeks! I would suggest setting dietary guidelines before the swap, so everyone knows what to expect