Over 115 years ago, the Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) was founded by Princeton University undergraduates and faculty. They were determined to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged inner-city children by offering healthy and character-building camping experiences. Today, the PBC serves young people, primarily from historically marginalized communities, by nurturing their social-emotional skills through experiential, environmental, and adventure-based programming.
Their dedication to empowering youth with lifelong skills inspired HelloFresh to partner together on our path to combat food insecurity.
The summer season is one of the toughest times for students and families who face food insecurity. Because many school-aged kids depend on federally-funded breakfast and lunch programs while at school, the months of June through August can be fraught with anxiety for food insecure families.
This year, HelloFresh supported PBC’s Summer Bridge Program by providing students with meal kits that included fresh ingredients and a recipe card with detailed instructions to make nourishing meals. The students were empowered to collaborate in cooking sessions at the Center and also take the recipes home and share them with their families–imparting the skills they learned with loved ones and gaining confidence along the way.
“The objective is to build their self-confidence, empower their motivation to do better, inspire them to have goals in life, and most importantly, have fun,” said Suman Rao, a PBC Board Member and the Vice President of U.S. Business Technology & Analytics at HelloFresh.
With growing excitement around the cooking classes, PBC expanded the program to include large-scale cook-off style events. Each Friday, students worked in small groups to prepare meals during “The Great PBC Cook Off.” Throughout the summer, members of the HelloFresh culinary team joined these young chefs where they bonded over their love of food, discussed their culinary careers, taught basic culinary skills, and cheered the students on. “It was very reassuring to feel that there was a whole community behind the students to support them through this experience,” said Rao.
Though PBC has over a century’s-worth of programs and experience in empowering youth through team building and leadership programs, the HelloFresh cooking sessions during the Summer Bridge program have quickly become some of the Center’s most popular to date. Some participants are already inspired to pursue careers in culinary tracts while others just can’t wait to return for next year’s session. “These programs have proven to have a long-lasting impact on these kids, and we’re so proud to play a hand in that,” Rao said.
For more information on the Princeton-Blairstown Center and their youth empowerment programs, click here.
