Food and nutrition education are recognized as an effective prevention measure for children suffering from and at risk of diet-related diseases. Despite overwhelming evidence that children need a minimum of 40 hours of nutrition education a year, most receive less than 8.
Most existing food education programs lack affordable, sustainable strategies to address the practical barriers to hands-on cooking instruction. The Charlie Cart Project is designed to change that.
The Charlie Cart Project’s unique model is helping bring about change by making food education accessible everywhere kids gather to learn.
Building the
HEALTHY
EATING
Generation
Our mission
is to make hands-on food education accessible everywhere children gather to learn so that kids have the knowledge and confidence to make healthy food choices for life.
What we do
Hands-On
Food Education
Hands-On Food Education
The Charlie Cart Project provides educators with everything they need to get their communities cooking. It includes a fully-stocked mobile kitchen, well-tested curriculum, training and support, and a passionate network of food educators.
Food Access
Food Access
Inconsistent access to healthy food can impact a child’s ability to learn and grow up healthy. Providing kids the tools and knowledge to choose and prepare healthy food from an early age has been shown to have a lifelong positive effect, ensuring all people have the opportunity to thrive.
Building Community
Through Food
Building Community Through Food
Our program is designed to bring people together to share in learning about and cooking healthy food. Many of our collaborative lessons and recipes explore topics and ingredients across traditions, cultures, and regions, making our program an opportunity to learn about more than food.
Why Food Education Matters
Food education gets to the heart of our most pressing issues.
1 in 6
kids in the US go hungry each year
1 in 3
kids will develop Type II diabetes
1 in 2
kids don’t get enough nutrition to thrive
“
“We’ve got to educate the next generation about the connections between food, health and the environment if we hope to solve the major challenges of our time. The Charlie Cart is the right idea at the right time to introduce this kind of education into schools everywhere.”
Michael Pollan
| Author, Journalist, Charlie Cart Project Advisor
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“When cooking is integrated into the curriculum, academic subject come alive, and students effortlessly absorb their lessons.”
Alice Waters
| Restaurateur, Founder of the Edible Schoolyard, Charlie Cart Project Advisor