Pilot Light relies on our amazing Fellows and support from dozens of mission-aligned partners to deliver our model in classrooms across the country. That truth was very much in evidence in November when one of our corporate partners, Rabobank, visited Food Education Fellow Catherine Yackee’s classroom at Brooks College Preparatory High School in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood on the city’s south side.
Rabobank, a cooperative bank with a focus on the food and agriculture sector, is supporting food education and more sustainable global food systems by sponsoring Catherine’s participation in the Fellowship this year. They have also contributed to the cost of a fully equipped Mobile Kitchen Cart (MKC) that will facilitate hands-on cooking experiences for Catherine’s students.
During their visit, seven representatives from Rabobank’s Chicago office heard Catherine describe how she is using lessons based on Food Education Standards #1 (Food Connects Us) and #2 (Foods have Sources and Origins) to help her students understand difficult concepts that they must master in order to do well on their AP Human Geography test in May. Catherine also shared how thrilled she was to have the MKC in her classroom and how it truly engaged her students in learning while also building their cooking skills. And the delicious aromas coming from Catherine’s classroom have made her “the most popular teacher in the school!”
Our friends from Rabobank admired Catherine’s collection of historical figure dolls and puppets from the Unemployed Philosophers Guild (great teaching tools!) and asked some thoughtful questions before heading back to work. We can’t thank Rabobank’s Chicago office enough for their partnership this year which was recently expanded to include support for Catherine’s Food Advocacy Project. Through the project, her students will be developing a cookbook of healthy recipes and distributing them to customers at LinkUp IL hubs in and around the Pullman/Roseland neighborhoods.
Thank you so much, Rabobank!
