by Mandy Sznober
The Men In Kitchen’s project supports men who now find themselves living alone or taking on the cooking responsibilities within the home.
The scheme is provided by the Wrekin Housing Trust but does great work thanks to one particular volunteer.
John Thompson volunteers at Men In Kitchen’s project to help give men over 50 the skills needed to be able to create a home cooked meals.
He also helps to teach basic nutrition knowledge to help people at the group stay healthy. It also provides a place for men to meet and talk with each other, tackling the loneliness that men over 50 sometimes fell.
Through John’s support, patience and engaging manner, these men now have confidence in the kitchen environment to recreate meals at home.
They are grateful for John, and cannot thank him enough at the end of the sessions.
Men In kitchen’s would not happen without John’s time and enthusiasm, he is a vital part of the group with a passion for helping others.
Why John volunteers
John gives his time freely once a week to the group. He said:
“When I first heard about the Men In Kitchen’s I wanted to offer my skills to support these men as they have not had the chance to learn to cook before. I wanted to be able to share new ways of cooking that they have never tried before for example next week the men have asked to try making profiterolls.”
“I get enjoyment out of showing these gentlemen how to cook, how easy it is to cook. It is also nice to see these men who did not know each other come together now as a groups of friends rather than a training session”
“I really enjoy coming to the group each week.”
John Thompson – Volunteer at Men In Kitchen’s
Volunteer
Volunteers are invaluable to us. It is people like John who make a difference in people’s lives each week whether that be through learning to cook or just giving time for a conversation.
If you are interested in volunteering or a group who would like more volunteers to support an active, creative or healthy eating offer in the community please get in touch
Email: public.health@telford.gov.uk
Telephone: 01952 384384