Giving Tuesday, a global movement born in response to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, holds profound significance as a day dedicated to generosity and charitable giving.
Noozhawk is teaming up with local nonprofits to encourage you to take part in this international day of giving, which takes place on November 28th, 2023.
Our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section provides all the resources you need to donate this Giving Tuesday!
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Nancy Martz, Executive Director at Apples to Zucchini Cooking School, to learn more about how the nonprofit is dedicated t0 bringing people together over shared meals.
Apples to Zucchini Cooking School
Question: What is the name and mission of your nonprofit?
Answer: Apples to Zucchini Cooking School: We bring people together over shared meals by teaching children, teens and adults how to prepare delicious, nutritious, affordable meals made from seasonal and local ingredients.
Q: What was the inspiration behind your nonprofit?
A: Our mission was inspired by the absence of home economics in our schools, prompting us to fill that void with positivity and purpose.
We are experiencing the consequences of two generations of Americans who do not know how to cook for themselves – rising rates of food-related illnesses, and a higher percentage of incomes spent on food (prepared, delivered, or eaten in restaurants).
When you pair the loss of home cooking with the rise of cellphones, the loneliness epidemic is inevitable. We are trying to reverse these trends in our corner of the world, and we believe that by inspiring children and teens, we can create a ripple effect that is much larger than our own geography.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded and what are your greatest needs?
A: We have two streams of income: charitable gifts and program service fees. Our charitable gifts come from individuals, businesses and foundations that share our belief that food prepared by our own hands tastes better than food prepared in a factory, and that meals shared with family and friends are infinitely more meaningful and memorable than meals eaten on the go.
These donations are critical to our work and changing lives for so many people in our community. Our service fees come from families, adults and organizations that want to learn how to cook and eat together. Approximately 40% is from charitable gifts and 60% of our income is from program fees.
Q: What types of fundraisers and/or programs does your nonprofit run?
A: We offer cooking classes to children, teens and adults. Elementary school students can enroll in afterschool classes, school holiday workshops, and summer camps.
They can also celebrate their birthdays with a cooking class, sharing a meal with their friends. Our classes for adults include Food As Medicine classes, sourdough and pasta classes, seafood series, Julia Child-inspired recipes, corporate team-building classes and more.
Q: How do people get involved/volunteer for your nonprofit?
A: We LOVE volunteers! People can go to our website and click on “Get Involved.” They will see the different ways to help with our classes and programs. Volunteers assist our Culinary Educators in afterschool classes, summer camps, and our birthday “parties with a purpose”.
They talk to people at farmers markets and festivals, sharing our programs and teaching food-related lessons. They help keep our garden in great shape, creating a learning environment for children and adults. We have a Teen Internship Program to give teens marketable skills and volunteer hours that will help them get jobs and prepare them for college.
Q: What is one best kept secret or fun fact about your nonprofit that not everyone knows?
A: Most people know us for our afterschool programs. But we do so much more than that! We teach classes for adults – sourdough, handmade pasta, seafood, cuisines of the world, easy weeknight dinners, Food As Medicine.
We offer summer camps with fun themes like Play With Your Food, Wrap Around the World, Plant Powered Kids, and Baking Bootcamp.
Parents can host birthday parties with a purpose – children learn to cook a meal, set the table, and share a meal with each other.
Companies or work teams can do the same – it is surprising how many adults are tempted to be on their phones while they are sharing a meal with their colleagues.
We have a Teen Internship Program, and we work with other nonprofits to bring cooking classes to their clients and constituents.
Q: Can you share one or two stories of individuals whose lives have been changed because of your organization?
A: In summer 2022, one of our volunteers was a rising high school senior. She had been volunteering with us for 4 years. We asked her what she was thinking about for college.
“Well, I’m thinking about biology, or maybe political science. I don’t know. I feel like I’m all over the place.”
“You’re not all over the place at all… you should study Public Health, and then come back to Santa Barbara and keep working for AtoZ!” we told her. Sure enough, she is in her freshman year at NYU, majoring in Public Health.
Here’s what some of our young students have said:
“I feel so good about myself. I finally made something that tastes good…something from scratch.”
“I never knew I liked carrots more than pasta!”
At the home front, we hear from parents about how their children’s food attitudes have developed:
“I wanted to thank you and to let you know that your cooking camp inspired my 9 year old daughter and her best friend to start making plans for the restaurant they are going to open together when they are adults. They practice their menu whenever they get together! :)”
“Just wanted to send a note to tell you how much [my son] is enjoying cooking. He looks forward to it all week and raves about everything he makes. He’s been much more excited to make dinner and more willing to try new foods. As a parent I really SO appreciate having a high quality care option for those early Wednesday releases.”
“I’m so impressed with the shift in my daughter’s food attitude and latitude since AtoZ. she’s been open to changing her palette, being involved in the kitchen, and getting creative with food. It’s such a gift that she and I are now sharing food ideas and exploring our menu ideas together — I’m so grateful! Thank you all so much!”
“I know this will inspire them to eat more veggies – they loved the salad – and need the community-based inspiration to try new foods. I know this class will open up their interests and palates!“
Q: Why should donors trust your organization and are there other ways to help outside of donations?
A: Our main vision is that people know where their food comes from, they know how to cook for themselves, and they create opportunities to share meals with one another.
We love to see our students experience the aha moment – they master knife skills, they connect with a new friend who is passionate about the same foods, they feel the sense of accomplishment when they make aioli from scratch.
People don’t even have to take our classes to experience our lessons – anyone can begin incorporating our practices with their next meal! Set the table, turn off the TV, light a candle, have a conversation.
Go to the farmer’s market, talk to the farmers, cherish your food. Engage the kids in cooking, setting the table, washing the dishes. Small steps become habits that change our relationship with food.
Click here to support Apples to Zucchini’s mission of teaching children, teens and adults hot to prepare delicious, nutritious, affordable meals made from seasonal and local ingredients.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full list of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
If you would like to include your nonprofit in our Good for Santa Barbara section and Giving Guide click HERE.