Making a difference through volunteering with School Food Matters
From cooking sessions and school trips to gardening, market days and assemblies, our volunteers play an important part in bringing School Food Matters’ food education projects to life.
For Els, an interest in food and the food system led her to School Food Matters. She has since supported cooking sessions, visited urban farms and apiaries, and helped with Market Days for Schools to Market.
Philippa came to volunteering through her own work in food education. She runs The Cooking Apple, a cookery school teaching teens and adults, and wanted to balance her corporate work with volunteering in the food education sector.
We asked them both what they enjoy about volunteering, what they’ve learned and what they would say to anyone thinking about joining them.
What made you want to volunteer with School Food Matters?
Els: I’ve been interested in food for a long time. About six years ago, I went to an event about the food system and started thinking much more about food waste, farming and the impact of the way we produce food.
I’d also done some business volunteering with charities supporting children and young people but I was always giving my business skills. Working with School Food Matters was the first time I’d volunteered directly with children. It brought together things I really cared about: food, young people and making a difference
Philippa: I’m a food teacher and run a small cookery school so I’m very interested in children being able to learn about food from an early age. I was doing quite a lot of corporate work and wanted to balance that with volunteering in the sector and to experience food education from another angle.
I’ve really enjoyed seeing how much fun and joy can sit alongside learning about food
What does volunteering with School Food Matters involve?
Philippa: I started from a cookery perspective, helping Sharon [School Food Matters’ food teacher] with the We Can Cook sessions, and then moved into family cooking sessions. I’ve also accompanied schools on apiary visits for the Honeybee Programme and started doing some assembly presentations to introduce schools to the projects.
Els: I’ve supported cooking sessions too, and it’s been fantastic seeing children who initially weren’t terribly interested in food becoming really engaged over the course of a few days.
I’ve also been to urban farms, explored forest gardens in north London, visited an apiary and helped with the Schools to Market programme which teaches children how to make, market and sell chutneys.
One of the things I really enjoy is that you can slot in where there’s a gap. You’re giving your time but you get to experience lots of different things too.
What have you learned or enjoyed most from volunteering on our food education projects?
Philippa: I think I’ve learned just how enthusiastic children are about food if you give them the chance.
There’s an incredible amount of paper-based and rote learning in school, which absolutely has its place. But if you can give children a little time in the day that is practical and creative, the learning just sort of oozes out of the session. They’re using all their senses and having a great time, and that’s when messages really stick.
Els: For me, it’s been the sheer joy of it. I remember one school trip where the children were so excited to be going to a farm that they were clapping as the coach went through tunnels and under bridges. Some of them had never done anything like that on a trip before.
You realise how much these experiences can mean. The teachers were incredibly committed to the children and it was lovely to be part of it.
Is there a particular moment or story from your volunteering that stands out to you and shows why food education matters?
Philippa: When you work in a culturally diverse classroom, you realise just how much home life shapes a child’s experience of food. Some children are completely familiar with an ingredient while another child has never seen it before. They learn from each other as much as they learn from you.
Seeing a child who has very little familiarity with certain ingredients become bold enough to try something because they see the other children trying it is brilliant. You can almost see the light bulb moment.
Els: I remember one little boy who had made a mistake with a recipe and was really upset about it. I just said, “Look, this is an opportunity. We can be curious and do something different.”
So we changed the salsa slightly. It tasted absolutely fine. Afterwards, Sharon said it was lovely to see him turn something he thought was a disaster into something that wasn’t.
I think that’s one of the things food education can teach children: it doesn’t always have to be right or wrong. You can experiment, be curious and have fun with it.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about volunteering with School Food Matters?
Philippa: It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved as little or as much as you have time to give. You work with fantastically passionate people and whenever I partner with the School Food Matters team, it’s a real learning opportunity.
Working with children is a privilege. You can go in, share one small thing and come out with a smile on your face. And I think you learn as much as you give.
Els: I’d say do it. You’re doing something that could potentially make a real difference. You don’t know what might happen as a result of one small interaction.
You get to go to places you’d never normally go, meet wonderful people and help in a little way. What’s not to like?
Want to join us?
Our projects couldn’t happen without the time, energy and enthusiasm of our volunteers. Our volunteers support the delivery of our food education projects in schools and communities across London, helping with cookery sessions, school trips, farm visits, market days and more.
Whether you have experience in food or education, skills you’d like to share or simply want to get stuck in and make a difference, there are lots of ways to get involved.
Find out more about volunteering with School Food Matters and submit an application form on our Work with us page.