Williamsburg Regional Library Receives $20,500 in Grant Funding for Culinary Literacy Classes 

WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg Regional Library (WRL) announced it was selected to receive a $7,500 grant from Sentara Health and a $13,000 grant from the Friends of WRL Foundation to bring culinary literacy classes to underserved areas in the community.

The new WRL initiative, Better Health Through Culinary Literacy, aims to improve culinary literacy for families, thereby improving their overall long-term health, helping families to make informed decisions about their nutrition and diet.

The program, which is led by the library’s outreach team, will provide residents of underserved neighborhoods with free classes on healthy eating and nutrition paired with related cooking demonstrations, along with access to a new mobile teaching kitchen and equipment on an ongoing basis.

“WRL is committed to empowering families in our community with the knowledge and skills they need to make healthier choices for their well-being,” said Library Director Betsy Fowler. “By bringing our new mobile teaching kitchen into local neighborhoods and offering free culinary literacy classes, we aim to improve the health of residents who may not have easy access to healthy food and food education.”

Participants will learn important culinary literacy skills including reading and writing recipes; understanding cooking and ingredient terminology; learning to prepare a meal; understanding the basic math of measuring; learning the basic science of cooking; knowing how to read and understand nutrition labels; understanding what food does to the body; and learning how to navigate grocery stores with health in mind, the library said.  

Classes will begin in the fall of 2023. Learn more about library programs at wrl.org.