Earlier this month, Americans Helping Americans® shipped out 2,500 boxes containing non-perishable food items including canned chicken breast, tuna, salmon, mushroom soup and vegetables, pasta, rice, non-fat dry milk, dry great northern beans and more to our partners in Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and West Virginia – enough to last a family of four a week or more.

Among them was Friendship Central School in Friendship, New York, which received 336 boxes and instead of simply handing out the boxes to the hundreds of needy school families, FCS staff member Jacqueline Dent informed us that they would also be offering cooking demonstrations using the foods included in the box.

At its “Good Food Fest” scheduled for June 1, families will gather in the school’s cafeteria where they learn how to make meals including chicken gravy over rice with veggies, tuna noodle casserole, salmon patties and beans, and more.

“Every meal at the event will be made with the foods found in each box,” said Jacqueline.

In addition to the cooking demonstrations, attendees at the free all-ages FCS event will take part in a buffet-style taste testing and at the conclusion every family will go home with a food box.

“We are excited and hope to have a great response!” Jacqueline told us.